


Remembered Things

by The_Spring_Soldier



Series: Miss America [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anxiety, Dad!Steve, Gen, Post Avengers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rated T for mainly paranoia, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-06-01 07:43:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 61,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6509068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Spring_Soldier/pseuds/The_Spring_Soldier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of Olivia Rogers. This is how she was rescued from an abandoned facility, how she came to live with *the* Avengers, how she became the daughter of Captian America, and how she learned to remember the things that were meant to be forgotten. Rated T for paranoia and violent scenes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  It was a cold, November night when several SUVs parked not far from an abandoned, broke down facility. The facility had been decimated from explosions in several places, and in other places there were burn marks. The forest that the facility was kept in, was also greatly damaged. Trees of great size were rooted from their places and were burnt everywhere.  
  “Alright,” a man in plain clothes and a baseball cap spoke as he pointed to a 3D model on an iPad. He was Steve Rogers. Sitting beside and behind him were two people: a man with a bow in one hand and a quiver on his back, and a woman with red hair. The both of them were well-known master assassins. Their names were Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff.  
  “The place is presumably deserted. We're looking for survivors, but also keep an eye out for possible threats. We’ll enter from here,” he said, gesturing to the back side of the facility.    “If there are any threats, they're in for a surprise. Try to keep the use of weapons on the down low; we don't want to draw unnecessary attention and if there are survivors, they're probably traumatized. Work fast; we’re in, then we’re out.”  
  The two assassins nodded. The instructions were relayed to the others in the remaining SUVs. The agents piled out and stealthily trekked the forest in pursuit of the facility. The back side of the facility was just as destroyed as front. The sliding door was blown off and the remains were found in a nearby tree.  
  Rogers was the first to enter. He motioned for Barton to scout the right half of the facility. Romanoff, along with some others scouted the northern half, and the remaining people followed Rogers in scouting the left half.  
  “Keep up on the updates,” Rogers commanded and shielded himself with the patriotic shield he was known for. The first room they came upon was a communal sort of area. A cracked tv lay hanging on the hinges of its mount. Several bodies were found on the floor with pools of blood surrounding them.  
  A struggle was apparent as blood smears and shattered glass were scattered about the room. Several weapons were found, as well as more bodies on the couches and seats.  
  “Found a few survivors. No threats yet.” Natasha informed through the comms.  
  “Same here,” Clint said, “Will keep looking.”  
  Several rooms were empty, or contained bodies that were long dead. Whatever happened to the facility hadn't left many survivors. Many of the bodies were adults. Some wore lab coats, other wore bulletproof vests, and some were dressed in plain clothing.  
  Rogers continued to look and came upon a computer console area. The sliding glass door was shattered. The room was ransacked and some of the desks were completely overturned. Even some of the consoles were shattered and other consoles blinked with pictures of people, as well as pictures of sickening experiments.  
  Rogers scouted the room and came upon a metal cabinet with its doors closed. He peeled back the door Iike it was a sticker on a plastic container. Inside, was a thin girl who looked the age of fifteen or sixteen. Her clothes were dirtied and bloody in most places. She hugged her legs which were dirtied, and dripping with blood. Tears stained her face and was also covered in grime and blood.  
  Upon seeing Steve, she proceeded to attempt shrinking further into the corner, but found that she was already backed enough into the corner. Her eyes were filled with fear, and perhaps…horror. Her stringy, blonde hair was matted with dried blood.  
Rogers quickly turned around and pressed a hand to his ear. “I've got one; she's a kid. Join at the computer room as soon as you can.”  
  Steve turned face the girl. He knelt in front of her and offered a reassuring smile.  
  “Can you tell me your name?”  
  She quickly shook her head and buried her face in her arms. Her breathing was shaky and she seemed more afraid than relieved now that Rogers was here. Natasha and Clint swiftly entered the room.  
  “Nat,” Steve said, rising from where he knelt. “She won't say anything to me. Maybe you could talk to her.”  
  Natasha nodded and walked up to the girl. “My name is Natasha. I'm here with S.H.I.E.L.D. and we want to help.”  
  “I don't want, nor need S.H.I.E.L.D.’s help,” the girl spoke, though her voice shook like a leaf on a windy day. “Go away.” She demanded as she narrowed her eyes at Natasha. The girl let out a shaky breath and settled back into her corner.  
  Natasha turned back to Rogers. “What do we do? She doesn't trust any of us.”  
  Steve lets out a deep breath. He needed to get this girl to trust him in order to get her out of the facility. What could he do? He shook his head and went back to sit in front of the girl.  
  “My name is Steve Rogers. Natasha looks scary, doesn't she?” Steve noticed Natasha’s furrowed brow as she bit back a retort.  
  The girl nodded. “Why are you here?” She asks quietly.  
  “We were told that some survivors were here. Do you know what happened?”  
  She nodded.  
  “Will you tell us what happened?”  
  She quickly shook her head again. Her expression showed extreme fear, as if she would be punished for saying anything.  
  “What do you like to do for fun?”  
  “We really don't have time for this.” One of the agents says to Barton. Barton narrowed his eyes at the agent, who backed away.  
  The girl scooted a little out of the cabinet. “I like to read.”  
  Steve nodded knowingly. “Really? And what do you read?”  
  The girl shrugged. “Everything. Once, I read a whole encyclopedia collection in one day; things like that. Does your friend like Robin Hood?” She looked at Barton.  
  “Nah, I'm a Katniss Everdeen sort of person. Maybe even Legolas.” Barton smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  “That's really cool.” The girl grinned.  
  Natasha approached Steve. “Steve, Fury says to hurry it up. He also says that you have places to be.”  
  Steve curtly nodded. “I'm guessing you're hungry.”  
  “…Yeah.” She admitted. Steve offered his help, but the girl shrunk away. She decided to do it herself, but nearly fell several times in the process of doing so. She ignored the looks of sympathy she was receiving and limped along. She hugged herself tightly, a look of determination across her face.

* * *

 

 “Romanoff. What do we know of the survivors?” Director Fury asked Natasha a few days after the incident.  
  “All, but one are adults and have made contact with their families after being cleaned and interrogated,” Natasha informed, giving a tablet with information to Fury.  
  “Is any of the information useful?” Fury questioned, looking over the tablet.  
  “So far, we've gotten a few insane ramblings, what some of the men looked like, and…that's all. They need time to relax, most of them are still traumatized.”  
  “Well, we don't have time, Romanoff,” Fury said, “What about the remaining survivor who’s not an adult?”  
  “The girl? We’re not sure about her yet. She'll only talk to Steve, and she doesn't even eat the food she’s given unless Steve’s the one giving it to her.” Natasha said, looking at the tablet with curiosity. “We're currently combing her files for any information. I'll keep you updated.”  
  Fury nodded. “Good.”

* * *

 

 Steve wandered up to the girl’s room. It was sectioned off by a glass door that could be tinted in order to obtain privacy. He knocked twice, hearing a small ‘yeah’ before poking his head inside.  
   “It's me. Again.” He saw the girl sitting at the edge of her cot. She was wearing the clothes that S.H.I.E.L.D. had given her which included a black shirt with the eagle emblem, black pants, and regular sneakers, though she preferred to wear the shoes she arrived in. They were still messy, but she had cleaned off the blood to the best of her ability. She looked a little healthier today.  
  “Hi.” The girl answered quietly.  
  “I remembered that you liked books, so I got you one from the waiting area in the hospital area of the helicarrier. It looks a little interesting, I guess.” He handed over the book entitled Thermonuclear Astrophysics: A Reference Guide.  
  “I've already read that one…three times.” She said shyly, but still accepted the book.   “Thank you though.”  
  Steve smiled. “Not a problem.” He took a seat. “Can you tell me your name?”  
  “Um, …Olivia.” She said.  
  “And you said you liked reading, Olivia?” She nodded in response to his question. “What else do you do?”  
  “Um…” The girl spaced out. Her expression started to dissolve into one of extreme fear and her hands shook again. She seemed to be staring at something as if it would bring her impending doom.  
  “Olivia.” Steve noticed this behavior. His calling seemed to snap her out of whatever was happening to her. She shook her head and clutched the book she was given until her knuckles turned white.  
  “Is there something you need to talk about?”  
  “I-I-I'm fine.” She said, inhaling and exhaling shakily. “Mr. Rogers, what's going to happen to me?”  
  “I'm not sure, kid. I'll let you know as soon as I figure out.” Steve offered a reassuring smile, though it felt forced. He wondered about Olivia’s parents. Were they concerned about their daughter? And what if they were dead?

* * *

 

 “Nat tells me you've been spending time with a little, blonde girl.” Barton smirked as he walked up to Steve. The both of them had been busy helping with questioning people, but it didn't seem to be getting anyway. For the most part, it was nerve-wracking. But they hadn't questioned Olivia for fear that they could jeopardize the trust that had been so hard to maintain.  
  “She needs someone, Barton. I know what that feels like on more than one occasion.” A moment of silence passed when Steve spoke up again. “She said she read a book on Thermonuclear Astrophysics three times. The book had to be three inches thick.”  
  “Neeeeeerd.” Barton whispered before changing his attitude and clearing his throat once he realized Steve was glaring daggers at him. “I mean, it's a good kind of nerd, y’know?”  
  “And I'm sure that's what you meant.” Steve rolled his eyes and saw Natasha walking up with a thick file in hand.  
  “What's up?” Steve asked.  
  “Medical report.” Natasha simply answered, holding up the file. “The girl just finished a physical.” She handed it over to Steve and Clint peeked over his shoulder.  
  “Amnesia, severe PTSD, depression, anxiety… Can a person like this exist?” Steve looked dumbfounded as he looked over the files.  
  “Apparently. And she's sitting in that room, staring off into space.” Natasha said.  
  “What about her parents?” Clint asked.  
  “Non-existent. The girl doesn't even exist. We've tried to comb any last trace of here.   There's nothing about her anywhere. And we can't try to put her in an orphanage. She's dealt with too much already.”  
  “Are you suggesting an asylum, Romanoff?” Steve rose an eyebrow.  
  “That's the only reasonable thing to do, Rogers. A regular family can't deal with someone as emotionally unstable as she is.”  
  “And an asylum would only make her even more afraid. She'll never trust another person again if we put her in that sort of situation.” Steve argued.  
  “Wait a minute.” Clint spoke up. “Is Cap here saying that we should take the girl in?”  
  Natasha scoffed. “I doubt it's something Stark would agree to.”  
  “I think Stark would be pleased to invite a person with an IQ of 340 in his tower.” Clint argued, snatching up a page in the file and looking over it.”  
  “An IQ of what?” Steve stole back the file.  
  “Did you say an IQ of 340?” Stark walked up to the group. The others looked in surprise.   They hadn't expected to see the billionaire.  
  “Now this is interesting.” Stark admitted before stealing away the file. “She looks cool. Has some issues; we all do.”  
  “Yeah, except they're more than what the common person has.” Natasha muttered.  
  Fury nodded, slapping the file shut. “I'll ask Fury. See what Captain Eyepatch says.”

* * *

 

  Olivia sat on a waiting room couch with a book in hand. She smiled faintly while reading it as she was huddled in a corner with the thin pillows from her room on each side. They offered some level of comfort, but it was ultimately better than a cold, metal cabinet.  
  The door cracked open and in walked Tony Stark. Olivia looked somewhat shocked by the appearance of the billionaire, but she'd rather want to be left alone.  
  “What’cha readin’?” He asked. She held up the rather beat up book entitled Howl’s Moving Castle and settled back down to read.  
  “You know they made a movie about it.”  
  Her eyes widened. “They did?! What's it like? Is it good? Does it stick to the book? Because  I really, really hate it when they completely mess up the movie and say that it's based off the book.”  
  “Whoa, calm down, kid.” Stark smiled as he held up his hands in an almost surrender sort of manner. “Uh, yes; pretty good, kinda weird for me. And I haven't read the book. What's the book like?”  
  “It's super good!” She smiled. “I've...kinda read it only eighteen times. It's the only book I legally own.”  
  “Legally? Cap said you had nothing but your clothes.”  
  “Yeah, well you can hide stuff too, y’know.”  
  “That is true.” Stark pointed to Olivia and nodded. “Uh, can you solve…” He looked around and found a small notebook sitting on the table in the corner. He scribbled something down and handed it to Olivia. It read:

Solve using elimination method  
X+2y-z = -6

3x-y+z = 8

4x-y-2z = 0

  
  “Are you sure you actually want to ask me that?” She seemed hesitant and retreated back to her corner.  
  “Yeah. Want to see if you actually have an IQ of 340. Computers are weird like that.”  
  She nodded in understanding and shrugged. “Y is -2, X is 1, and Z is 3.”  
  “Good. What do you know about...Calculus”  
  “We went from Algebra to Calculus.”  
  Stark shrugged. “You impressed me.”  
  “Oh. Okay.” She said before nervously clearing her throat. “Um, I know differential calculus, integral calculus, and what makes the fundamental theorem of calculus. If you want to know what languages I speak, I speak English, German, aaaand French.” She shrugged and smiled faintly. Stark looked impressed.  
  “When'd you finish school?” He asked.  
  “Ten.” Her statement sounded more like a question to herself. “That is, I finished college at ten. It's kind of a thing that happens when you have an IQ around 340…” She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.  
  “No, it's cool. It's all...cool.” He nodded. “What about your parents? You know anything about them?”  
  She stiffened at the aforementioned problem of her parents and quickly shook her head. “I could tell you my last name, but...I can't exactly remember it…”  
  “Don't stress about it, kid. I'll talk to Director Pirate Eye. It was a good talk.” He offered his hand for a high five. Olivia quickly smacked down his hand and smiled a little.

* * *

 

  “So,” Stark invited himself into Fury’s office, “That kid is actually pretty smart.”  
  “What kid, Stark?” Fury asked, busying himself with a letter of address.  
  “You know, that kid you rescued from the facility a few days ago. The one with an IQ of 340.” He said, fiddling with a model of the first Helicarrier. “The Star-Spangled-Man-With-A-Plan seems to like her, too.”  
  “Doesn't surprise me.” Fury said gruffly.  
  “Yeah, she knew Calculus and she was what? Fifteen? I think that's what the file said. Thought that was interesting.”  
  “What's your point, Stark?” Fury asked, placing his arms on his desk.  
  “Good question. And I mean no offense when I say that you're probably going to ship off that poor girl to an asylum. She could be helpful to projects and science-y stuff.”  
  “And I mean no offense when I say that I really don't care what you think.” Fury said, glaring at Stark, “You can't do much with a girl who has emotional issues.”  
  “That...could be true. You just have to put in the right setting. That setting would probably have a homey feeling, maybe give her a legit bedroom. Maybe even a place where she can play. If she knows math, she's gotta know science.”  
  “And just why would you let her into Avenger’s Tower? Last I recall, you were convincing    Clint that the place ‘wasn't his style’.”  
  Stark shrugged, swinging his arms back and forth. “There's the part where there's a difference between a girl with major anxiety and an archer who likes to climb through vents.  And then there's the fact that Rogers said that it wouldn't be good for me if I didn't convince  you. I mean, overall, we'd be only keeping her for a few months, just to say ‘goodbye’ to  those anxiety issues. Whaddya say?”  
  Fury paused to think. He sighed. “Four months. That's all she gets.”  
  “Great.” A huge smile plastered itself on the billionaire’s face. 


	2. Chapter 2

  A few days later, Olivia could be seen staring at the main console screen of the Helicarrier.  
  “What does that one do?” was something that she kept asking the pilot until he was practically insane.  
  “Hill, why is a girl loose on the Helicarrier?” The pilot said with annoyance and turned to the woman who kept her brown hair in a low bun.  
  “She's not running around destroying stuff, so just roll with it.” Hill said, looking over some  files. Olivia could see she wasn't needed, so she walked over to Hill and silently stood.  
  “So… What exactly is happening today?” The teenager asked.  
  “We've located a place for you to stay for now.” Hill said, adding a tiny smile. “Right, now, we're waiting for Captain Rogers.”  
  “Captain Rogers?” Olivia furrowed her brow. Why was Captain Rogers needed? She wondered… She looked around her at the multiple people who sat at computers. She wondered if she could work at a computer all day like that. She stayed silent and continued to look around the room.  
  Olivia wondered about the place she was going to. Would they let her build stuff and machines? Or would they force her to be...normal? The thought made her visibly shiver. She tried to think back to when she was normal. But she found nothing and she was left searching for something other than...those things that had happened.  
  Olivia shook her head and gulped. She didn't want to think about that again. She didn't want to let the anxiety return again. But...she was still struggling. She had promised herself that as soon as someone would find her, she would try to fight the anxiety.  
  But...the darkness. The fear of being alone. It made her shake constantly. Olivia didn't want to be in a dark room alone. She had already experienced that in the past fifteen years. Now she didn't have to worry about being handcuffed whenever she slept, or being held under constant supervision whenever she was constructing something.  
  She sighed. This would be good for her. ...She hoped.  
  “Captain Rogers.” Hill greeted the man who wore plain clothes.  
  “Hill.” Steve nodded. “Olivia; ready to go?”  
  “Where are we going?” She asked, still very confused.  
  “Stick with me and you'll go far.” Steve smiled and led the girl away.

* * *

The black SUV containing Steve and Olivia pulled up to Avengers Towers.  
  “Whoa…” She said, staring in awe at the superhero tower. “It looks so much better close up.” She grinned, then noticed a large group of people gathered at the entrance. It looked like they were mainly girls and they all wore superhero themed attire.  
  “What's that, Mr. Steve?” She asked, pointing to the group. She sat in the passenger seat and Steve drove the car.  
  “Tony said they were…players, co-players, something like that.” Steve shrugged. “They're dangerous, and they come here every day after school. “And Steve’s just fine, Olivia.”  
  “Oh, okay.” She said, smiling at the fact that Steve didn't know about cosplayers until they were literally on his doorstep. Steve parked right outside the tower.  
  “Well, this is our stop, kid.” Steve said, climbing out of the car. Olivia followed, looking around her.  
  “So, uh, is it a trailer of some kind?” She hoped it wasn't. She didn't want to live in a trailer for the rest of her life. But there wasn't any residential areas around here. Could what she had suspected come true?  
  “Nope.” Steve said, walking up to stand beside Olivia after he locked the car.  
  “You don't mean…?” Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Steve smiled and silently nodded.  
  “Nuh-uh!” She squealed. “You're kidding!”  
  Steve shook his head.  
  “OHMYGOSH!!!!” She screamed so loud that she could've sworn the cosplayers on the other side of the Tower could hear her. “I'm dreaming! I'm completely and totally dreaming!” She ran off towards the Tower. Olivia tripped, but caught herself.  
  “Fine! Just fine! Really, completely fine!” She laughed and sped towards the back doors. Steve swiftly broke into a run and completely passed Olivia up.  
  “Keep up, slowpoke!” Steve said behind him and cracked a smile.  
  “Wha…? Oh! That's how it's gonna be, then!” She smirked devilishly and tried to run after Steve. Olivia found that the endeavor was quickly a mistake. Steve was practically sprinting and she was slowing to a horrific crawl.  
  Steve had quickly ran to the door while Olivia was still struggling to even walk. She finally met with Steve, who wasn't even sweating. Her shirt was disgustingly drenched with sweat. She wheezed and doubled over as she tried to actually breath again.  
  “You're out of shape.”  
  “You're rude. You should be ashamed of yourself, tormenting a precious, little girl like that.” She said between huge breaths. “I need new lungs.” She whined, running a hand through her hair.  
  Steve laughed, shaking his head. He punched in a combination on the touch screen of the door. Olivia was glad she didn't have to swim through a sea of fangirls and fanboys.  
  “Welcome home, Mr. Rogers.” A voice could be heard from the computer.  
  “That's Jarvis.” Steve said, holding open the door for Olivia.  
  “Does he talk to you a lot?” She asked, staring inquisitively at the blue screen.  
  “Indeed I do, Ms. Olivia.” Jarvis replied. Olivia’s eyes grew wider.  
  “Are you an AI?!” She screeched, looking at the screen as if it was a superhero in and of itself.  
  “That is correct, Ms. Olivia.” Jarvis replied. “You may ask me any question and I am sure I will answer if to the best of my ability.  
  Olivia hummed, running a hand over her face. “What's 34,287 times 43,218?”  
  “1,481,815,566.” Jarvis immediately answered.  
  “Whoa.” Olivia whispered, awestruck. “Can I talk to Stark about getting my own AI?!”  
  “I'm sure you could speak with him; as for actually having a personal AI, Ms. Olivia, you would have to pursue that by yourself.”  
  She sighed. “Fine.”  
  Steve grinned. “Come on, Olivia.” He said, walking into the room. Olivia complied, but her heart soon sank and a grimace found its way onto her face when she was presented with yet another obstacle.  
  “Stairs.” She gulped. “My legs already burn, I don't need any more physical activity!”  
  “Hurry along, Olivia!” Steve had already proceeded in jogging up the stairs. Olivia stared and scoffed. How could he even do that?! “Pepper’s getting dinner ready!”  
  At the mentioning of the word ‘dinner’, Olivia perked up and practically ran up the stairs.   She was hungry! And she couldn't wait to meet everybody else!  
  ...But what if they didn't like her? People hated her for her anxiety, would these people be the same? And what about her knowledgeable mind? She could put it good use, but it rubbed most people the wrong way. Olivia guessed she’d only have to wait and see. Surely the Avengers wouldn't judge her for her more than strang attitude. They did just deal with aliens and a god a year ago. If anything they would willingly listen, although they may not even know what she was talking about. At least, most of them besides Tony wouldn't know what she was talking about.  
  She could do this!

* * *

  She couldn't do this. Why did she think it was ever a good idea to run up ten flights of stairs? Why had she agreed to do that after nearly killing herself from trying to run with Steve?!  
  And the most horrible part was that she still had to climb!  
  She continued to climb, not willing to let the Avengers see her giving up over just a flight of stairs. Olivia struggled until she was on all fours. She eventually made it and collapsed on the floor, wheezing for a breath.  
  “The kid’s completely out of shape!” Olivia looked up to see Clint Barton standing before her. He laughed.  
  “...Just give me a moment.” She wheezed.  
  “You need any help, kid?” Tony joined Barton.  
  “No, I just don't do stairs; or running; or anything that involves actually getting up to do it. Just...give me a moment.” She waved away the two.  
  “Give the girl some room to actually breath, guys.” The woman Steve called Natasha said as she walked up to Olivia. She offered her hand, but Olivia shrunk away from it. She couldn't really trust Natasha. Not yet, anyway. She noticed that a certain green rage beast was missing from the group.  
  “Where's the Hulk?”  
  “Doctor Banner?” Tony asked. “Ethiopia, South Africa?” He shrugged. “I don't know.” In all reality, Banner was sitting peacefully on the couch.  
  “Can I go take a shower? I feel disgusting.” The teenager asked, getting up to kneel.  
  “Why don't I show you your room?” A lady with pretty, light red hair asked, a bowl of salad in one hand a wooden spoon in the other.  
  “I'm Virginia Potts. The people in the Tower call me Pepper, so you can too.” She gave a pleasant grin and set down the salad bowl.  
  “I get my room?” Olivia asked, wondering why these people were being so generous to her.  
  “Unless you want to sleep on a couch.” Barton joked, receiving a few looks and an elbow to the rib. Olivia only smiled and rolled her eyes.  
  “That'd be great, Pepper.” She said, following Pepper, who was still in formal attire. Her room was gigantic and decorated with shades of light purple, grey, blue, and a few black accents. A massive bed with fluffy purple bed sheets stood at the head of the room, and a black desk stood nearby.  
  A matching bathroom was attached, as well as a gigantic closet that already contained a few outfits.  
  Olivia couldn't help but smile. She couldn't remember when she last had a legitimate room to call her own. It made her more happy than she could ever say.  
  “Thank you, Pepper.” Olivia managed, still looking awestruck at the room.  
  “It's not a problem, Olivia.” Pepper said before heading out the door. “I'll leave you alone, now. Jarvis will tell you when dinner’s ready.”  
  “Alright.” Olivia said and nodded. She walked over to the desk and noticed that a shirt was set on top with a note as well. She picked the little present up and saw that the shirt was from Stark, according to the note. The shirt itself said ‘May all your bacon burn’. She laughed a little at the shirt before deciding to get in the shower before dinner.

* * *

  Olivia appeared on the living room floor wearing a blue Captain America hoodie, black jeans, and red, white, and blue socks. Her hair was still wet from the shower and she tried to comb the tangles from her blonde hair.  
 "Okay, who's idea was that?” Steve asked, genuinely curious, and perhaps annoyed by the other Avenger’s ideas.  
  Barton was the first to let out a chuckle.  
  “Is there something wrong with my hoodie?” Olivia pondered aloud as she sat at the one empty chair beside Steve.  
  “Not at all, kid.” Natasha rolled her eyes. “Clint can be an idiot.”  
  “Hey! Semi-idiot. If I was a complete idiot, I wouldn't be able to do this.” Barton took his spoon of lasagna, bent back the spoon portion, and fired the lasagna straight into his mouth.  
  “Show off.” Tony rolled his eyes.  
  “I quite like your jacket, Lady Olivia.” Thor complimented through a mouth of lasagna. He put on a cheesy smile. Olivia nodded and dug into the salad Pepper had handed her. She trusted that Pepper couldn't have poisoned it or put some sedative into it. Pepper seemed too kind to do that.  
  Her tastebuds went completely crazy. Just the salad itself was delicious! She was actually eating real food.  
  “So…” Steve struck up a conversation. “What are you good at?”  
  She slightly shrugged. “Math. Science. Math and Science. Anything that includes Math and Science, I guess.”  
  “Music preferences?” Tony asked before taking a drink of his beer.  
  She hummed before listing a few things on her fingers. “Ummmm…. a-ha, Kansas, Toto.  Just about any eighties song out there. Little bit of Coldplay. Nothing major, though.”  
  “You know anything about combat?” Natasha asked.  
  Olivia scoffed. “I nearly killed myself climbing up stairs. I don't think I would ever know anything about combat.”  
  “That's gonna change.” Barton assured. “You can't live with the Avengers and not know to at least defend yourself.”  
  Olivia’s face twisted to a grimace. “She’d rather spend her day in a lab, not training to defend herself. “Sounds good.” She muttered, somewhat lying.  
  “So, what do you guys do all day? Well, besides the obvious ‘save the world’ deal.” She asked, not wanting to talk about stupid combat and things like that.  
  “Tony normally blows stuff up.” Pepper said as she rolled her eyes.  
  “That was one time!” Stark argued.  
  Olivia was intrigued. “What stuff do you blow up?”  
Tony grinned at the girl’s curiosity. “Mostly Iron Man stuff. Dum-E normally deals with it in seconds.”  
  “You have a test dummy that can take care of fires?!” Olivia gaped.  
  “I think that's the fifth time today that Olivia’s been impressed with something you've made, Stark.” Steve said, though nobody could tell whether or not he was being funny or sarcastic.  
  “I can't help it if he's made all this cool stuff!” Olivia justified herself, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement. She wondered if she could be as successful as Tony Stark. Of course, she'd have her own AI. She'd have to start thinking of cool names for her AI. Cool AI names were a must.  
  She smiled while eating her lasagna. This would be a fun experience.

* * *

  The next day, Olivia was seen at the kitchen countertop with a thick book and a few pieces of paper before her. In her hair were several pencils. She had wondered where they all went.  
  “Now what are you up to?” Steve asked the girl who had been successfully hiding from any person who was extremely skilled with combat. That had excluded her from Steve, Natasha, and Clint. Thor really didn't have any interest in the girl, but he was fascinated by how much mythology she knew.  
  What Olivia had found even more interesting was that Thor had mentioned that most of the events she knew were completely distorted and different from what Thor remembered. She remembered to write them and add them to a Norse Mythology book that she'd sooner or later buy.  
  “...Reading.” Olivia excused, hiding herself behind an encyclopedia.  
  “I think I specifically remember Natasha saying at breakfast that she wanted you at the training room.” Steve reminded, pulling away the book.  
  “Nooooo.” Olivia whined, planting her face on the fancy granite counter. “Do I have to?” She asked, not bothering to lift her face from the counter.  
  “Do you want to die?”  
  “I'd never die if I were attacked. I would just start to talk about Quantum Mechanics and they'd die from boredom.” Olivia justified, huffing.  
  “I don't think it works like that.” Steve grinned.  
  “Well, it should.” Olivia muttered. She returned to her book and scribbled a few things on the piece of paper.  
  “What language is this?” Steve questioned. He stood behind Olivia and looked at the random scribbles on the paper.  
  “It's not a language. It's shorthand. Gregg Shorthand, to be precise. But…” She pulled out a paper that had more scribbles on it. “That's French.”  
  “La mécanique est une branche intéressante de la science. Mechanics is an interesting branch of science.” Steve said, translating from fluent French. Olivia’s eyes widened.  
  “Okay, stop reading my stuff.” She snatched away the page. “Who knew Captain America spoke French?”  
  “It's kinda necessary when one of your Howling Commandos only speaks French.” Steve said.  
  “That's...really cool.” She smiled.  
  “What is all this?” Steve looked over the large piles of paper. Some were written in French, and others in more scribbles like what Olivia had written earlier.  
  “Depends. Most are research. Some are journal entries. I think the research overpowers the journal entries by a landslide.” She said, nodding. “And they’re not that type of journal entries. It's more of a ‘what did I better myself at learning today’. ...I'm so boring.” She planted her face into the counter and huffed again.  
  “Depends on what you would call annoying.” Steve nodded to himself. “If you don't want to be boring, you might want to join Natasha in the training room.”  
  “That was really smooth.” She said, narrowing her eyes at him. “I'm not going to learn how to kill someone if my life depended on it.”  
  “Okay, then that's an order. Your life does depend on it.” Steve said, taking away the encyclopedia.  
  “Oh, come on, Steve!” Olivia blurted. She growled and slid from off her chair. “...Fiiiiine.”  
  “You're a punk.” Steve said somewhat jokingly as he watched Olivia trudge from the kitchen.  
  “The purest kind.” She said, not taking the opportunity to turn around. She smiled. As she worked up the effort to walk to the training room, she sighed.  
  “Can I offer some sort of assistance, Ms. Olvia?” Jarvis asked.  
  “No, Jarvis. I'm fine.” Olivia assured. It felt weird talking to seemingly nothing. She passed Banner and Stark’s lab once before backtracking and poking her head inside.  
  “This is a cool place.” She said, standing at the door. Banner stood above a notebook and casually looked up and around him and then down at his notebook.  
  “Can I come in?” Olivia asked.  
  “Sure, kid.” Stark invited as he sat on a spinny chair. On one arm was a piece of an Iron Man arm.  
  “What's all this?” Olivia pondered. She pointed to a box of metal, parts, and old pieces.  
  “Junk.” Stark answered. “Mostly. Some of it's just unusable.”  
  “Unusable?” Olivia lifted up a dusty-ridden circuit. “By unusable, do you mean too small to use? Because, this metal - even if it is in a small quantity to use - could be used to create a scouting robot. But, you know, it's not like I'm a complete expert on mechanics or something like that.”  
  Stark rose an inquisitive eyebrow. “Do you some kind of...model? Something like that?”  
  She grinned. “Actually, I do.”


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_ **

  


 A few days later, Olivia could be seen in the living room with a Stark Pad in hand. The tablet let up a hologram of a model of some sort.

 “So,” Steve walked up to Olivia. “I hear you didn't actually go to the training room.”

 “Even better! I made an IDA!” she smiled brightly, holding up the tablet.

 Steve looked oddly at tablet. “Do you mind telling me what that is?”

 “An IDA! Intelligent Data Analyzer! Granted, it's in its first stages, but isn't it great?! It looks like a bug, but it is fact, a robot. I even have plans for a flight mode and a camera, and it's supposed to be controlled by a tablet like this one, although the tablet has a flip out keyboard,” she immediately stopped rambling when she saw that Steve didn't look very impressed. “I mean, it's really neat.”

“You disobeyed my orders,” Steve placed his hands on his hips.

 “Since when did you assume the role of ‘Father of Olivia’?” she asked, ticked at how he wasn't at least happy that she had successfully planned something.

 “Since nobody else cared. You can't just be a couch potato all your life.”

 “But...science,” she whined, running a hand over her face. “Okay then, what DO I do?”

 “Follow me,” Steve smiled, then walked off. Olivia huffed, then followed. He was heading to the training room. Olivia knew where this was going.

 “You obviously don't know anything about combat, but you do need to know how to defend yourself,” Steve looked around the room. It was filled with weapons, treadmills, punching bags, dummies, and even a pool with a retractable cover.

 “First of all: let's say the Tower’s being attacked and enemies are flooding in from all sides. What do you do?”

 Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and hummed in thought. “I hide. Since I can't fight them off, I'll try to find some form of defense.”

 “That could work,” Steve shrugged. “And what if you don't find some form of defense?”

She stopped to think. “Then I find a table. I can turn it on its side and use that as a barricade.”

 Steve nodded, then turned to a locker with the symbol of his shield on it. He opened it up and retrieved the shield inside. “What if you had something like this?” he asked, handing over the shield. Olivia marveled at the weight. It wasn't heavy at all!

 “How much does this weigh?” she marveled at the shield, an idiotic grin plastered across her face.

 Steve shrugged and shook his head. “Twelve pounds?”

 She gaped. “It's nice,” she said, her mouth still wide open. “Okay, if I had something like this, I could use it as a frisbee, - you know, throw it and it'll smash into stuff - or a shield (as its intended use) - or even use it in combat, I guess. Like hitting someone up close with it.”

 “Those are all very good ideas. Guess the only way to find out if they actually work is by holding a test run.”

 “Can't I just hold it and revel in the beauty?” she asked, hiding behind the shield. She couldn't fathom the fact that Captain America wanted to spar with her, but…. She'd rather not deal with an ultimate butt whooping.

 “Not how it works, kid,” Steve shook his head.

 “But...I don't want to fight Captain America,” she argued.

 “Oh, trust me. You're not fighting me,” Steve smirked, then motioned for Olivia to turn around. She did so and saw that Natasha was standing right behind her.

 Natasha wordlessly swept Olivia’s feet from under her. The girl landed with a loud thud and Olivia could've sworn that that would cause a painful bruise tomorrow. Olivia crawled away, dropping the shield before quickly jumping to her feet. She seemed to know what she was doing, but faltered greatly in her moves.

 The assassin threw a few punches. Olivia blocked some, but not all.

 “One question: just how am I supposed to fight you when I have absolutely zero experience when it comes to defense?” Olivia asked, running from Natasha.  

 “You're not supposed to be running all the time, Olivia,” Steve pointed out. He leaned against the wall and looked at the scene with amusement.

 “Well, I can't exactly attack her, Steve!” Olivia screeched. She spied the shield sitting a ways away and ran over to retrieve it. She was already running out of breath and wheezing horribly. She finally picked up the shield and held it in a defensive position. Natasha rushed over and swiftly attacked with her fists.

 Olivia attempted to hit Natasha in the head with the shield. It succeeded a few times, but

Natasha soon found an opening. She took Olivia’s arm and flipped the girl right over her head. The girl landed with a thud. She groaned and lay flat on the floor.

 Steve walked over and looked at Olivia with a smile.

 “Nice try, Olivia,” he said, then noticed she only replied with a thumbs up. She failed to breath regularly, her breath coming in and out with wheezes. It felt like she was breathing through a straw.

 “Olivia?” Steve questioned worriedly. He recognized these symptoms.

 “Can't...breathe,” Olivia answered through struggled breaths. She broke into a fit of never ending coughs.

 “Natasha, on that medical report for Olivia, did it talk about asthma?”

 “...Yeah,” Natasha furrowed her brows and quickly turned around. “Is she having an attack?”

 Steve simply nodded before Natasha rushed over to a medical kit attached on the wall and pulling out an emergency inhaler. She threw it to Steve, who passed it to Olivia. Olivia snatched it away and quickly breathed in two puffs.

 The girl let out a shaky breath. She was handed a water bottle and she chugged a few sips.

 “You okay?” Steve asked in a slightly worried tone.

 She nodded and said, “Sorry.”

 “Don't apologize,” Steve offered a smile. “We'll make our way up to Natasha’s level of fighting. Just you wait.”

 Olivia nodded once again, taking huge, deep breaths. She couldn't remember when the last time she had an attack. No… She remembered. It was the Facility. The dust and ash and her own rushing heartbeat had caused so many problems. She couldn't remember when she didn't have an attack during the time.

 “How do you feel about riding around on a bike?” Natasha asked. “Steve goes on runs each morning. If you go with him, you can build up endurance, and get to know New York.”

 “And you can take it slowly. I don't think any of us would appreciate it if we killed the world’s smartest person,” Steve assured.

 “Sounds like a plan,” Olivia gave a thumbs up. “But it has to be painted in my room’s colors. If you guys get color themed suits, then I at least get a color themed bike.”

 “I'll see what I can get Stark to do,” Natasha said.

 “For now, I need a new series to read.” Steve said, finally talking about something other than training. Olivia gasped loudly, as if the attack had never happened.

 “Come on! Tony has lots of books in the living room, and most of them are my favorites! We’ll see if I can get you one!” the girl beamed brightly before jumping to her feet, snatching up Steve’s hand and running out of the room. Steve looked back at Natasha, who only smirked.

* * *

 

 Steve was situated at the living room, reading   _The Hobbit_ while Olivia was nearby with a book called _The Silmarillion_. Neither spoke and just read as the occasional sound of pages turning could be heard in the otherwise silent living room.

 “What's up, nerds?” Barton asked as he walked into the room.

 “Reading,” Steve and Olivia said in unison, their gaze still on their books. Clint shook his head and chuckled.

 “Cap, Fury needs you for a mission update.”

  Steve sighed and closed his book.

 “Am I allowed to come?” Olivia asked. She hated to be left alone. It sounded like the meeting was important. She wondered what it could be about. It had to mean that all the Avengers would go to it.

 “Sorry, Olivia. Not this time,” Steve said, patting the girl on her head. He then began to walk off.

 “Oh. Okay,” she nodded and pouted a little. What was so important that she couldn't know? Maybe it was about her. But, then why would it be about her? She didn't have...MUCH to hide. And anything she did hide was hidden for a good reason.

 Barton and Steve walked away as they talked quietly amongst themselves. They eventually left, leaving Olivia to keep her own company. She huffed and decided to watch some TV.

 “Sir, she's only been here for a week and a half,” Barton pointed out as he spoke to the gigantic monitor sitting in the large, business room. A dark table was set in the center of the room and expensive chairs lined it. On one wall was a row of marble counters that held a bowl of fruit and a coffee machine.

 “Exactly my point, Barton,” Fury, who was on the other end of the call, snapped. “It shouldn't take a million years to get a girl to trust you.”

 “When we found her, she was covered in blood. Whatever happened to her must have been horrific. It’s hard to trust anyone when something like that happens to you.” Natasha said, crossing her arms over her chest.

 “The child seems mentally well,” Thor nodded. “She may be hiding away her real problems.”

 “Thor's right. I've noticed that Olivia doesn't express her problems. That may work against her...” Steve said. He seemed to be talking more to himself, though.

 “It's taken her this long to just have a good conversation with us. Who knows how long it'll take for her to actually talk about whatever’s scared the crud out of her,” Tony said nonchalantly. He sat on a chair and rolled back and forth.

 Fury was silent for a few minutes. “Well, what HAVE you gotten out of her?”

 “She's pretty much a pre-Serum Steve,” Tony shrugged.

 Steve gave a look that was a mixture of aggravation and annoyance. “She's capable of combat if we can get past her health problems. I think she may know about combat than she lets on.”

 “But she's also insanely smart,” Banner said, running his fingers over his top lip. “Almost to the point where she can solve...even the most complex of algorithms. I'd be surprised if there was at least some knowledge of her somewhere.”

 “Anything about her past?” Fury asked.

 “She knows several languages,” Steve said.

 “Yes,” Thor said. “She also has a vast knowledge of Asgardian history and calls it only myths, though most of what she speaks is truth.”

 Clint hummed in thought. “Each time you ask her about her past, she clams up and tried her best to ignore the question.”

 “I need more information, Avengers. I'll have another mission update in another week and a half. Fury out.” The monitor shut off and silence filled the room.

 “...What do we do?” Natasha asked.

 “We keep treating Olivia like she's one of us,” Steve answered. “The only way to get through her is to have her trust us.”

 “Jane was interested in the girl’s knowledge. Friend Stark, is it fine if Jane and Darcy visit the Tower?”

 “Sure, Pointbreak,” Stark said, still spinning on his chair.

 “Alright then,” Steve looked deep in thought. “This meeting is dismissed.”

* * *

 

 Olivia sat sprawled out on the couch as she watched Sherlock on the large, leather couch.

 “What's up?” Pepper, who was done with work for the day, asked.

 “Bored,” Olivia mumbled. She slid further into the couch and hugged a pillow that sat on her lap. In her hands were a circuit board and a screwdriver. She occasionally took apart pieces of the circuit board.

 “Olivia,” Pepper began, “Why don't we...go for a walk in Central Park? Just to take a break from Science, okay?”

 Olivia smiled. “Sounds good!”

 Most of the walk was spent in awkward silence. The trees were bare, and most of the park was empty.  

 “So… What do you think Director Fury talked to the Avengers about?” Olivia spoke up as she burrowed herself into her hoodie.

 “Just stuff, I guess.”

 “Stuff is good… Did we ever find what happened to my parents?” the question was asked in hesitation.

 Pepper shook her head. “Do you remember anything about being them?”

 “Olivia shook her head. “I'm honestly trying to at least remember _something,_ but… All I remember is the Facility. It's not exactly something I want to remember.”

 Pepper nodded before reaching over to hug the distressed girl.  

 “I'm sure we'll figure something out,” she said. Olivia only shrugged and silence ensued.

 A child’s scream pierced the air. Olivia's head snapped around to face the scream. It seemed to come from the entrance of the park.

 “Oh my gosh!” Olivia gasped. “Is that Iron Man?!” she pointed to the sky with one hand. Pepper stopped to look and as she was distracted, Olivia practically sprinted to the entrance of Central Park.

 The struggle seemed to come from a group of thugs with guns and several cases of money. They had a child with them who was crying loudly. He tried to struggle from the thugs, but it was no use.

 Olivia ran across the street and leapt up and onto the hood of a car. She leaped off of the car and onto another car. After coming up to the thugs who just laughed at her, she jumped from the car she stood on and executed a perfect backflip before kicking to guys in the head. The kicks successfully landed, causing two to fall unconscious from the massive blow to the head.

 Several men rushed to fight off Olivia. They threw several punches and Olivia successfully dodge every single one. She retrieved a trash can lid from a nearby alley and used it as a makeshift shield.   

 The press began to appear and Olivia did her best to hide her face. One man held a firearm and began firing rapidly. Olivia retracted behind a car just in time to miss one, the other bullet grazed her shoulder and she felt the warm, red liquid flowing down one arm. She bit back the pain and rushed around the car and behind the man with the gun. Olivia rammed the trash can lid into the back of his head.

 Two other men, one with a case of money, approached Olivia. The girl quickly swiped her hand across the man’s face and proceeded to forcefully poke the one’s man eyes. He cried out in pain and the other man looked in fear.

 “Boo,” Olivia said as she held up her hands. The man flinched, then ran away, blubbering like a small child. Olivia smirked, then turned around to see the traumatized child standing a ways away.

 “Are you okay?” she asked, kneeling down to face the child. He nodded.

 “Austin!” the boy’s mother called as she rushed up to embrace her son.

 “Mommy! It was so cool! She kicked one guy and it was all like ‘wham, wham, wham, wham wham’! You should've seen it! It was so awesome!”

 “Was it?” the mother asked, turning to Olivia. “Thank you so much! I hate to think what could've happened!”

 “It's no problem!” Olivia shook her head. She neglected the wound on her shoulder and smiled. She turned around to see Pepper with her arms crossed over her chest.

 “I'm guessing that the Avengers don't know that you can do that?” Pepper asked.

 “I may or may not have lied.”

 “You know, you could've just asked the police for help?”

 “And risk not getting shot in the shoulder?” Olivia asked, gesturing to the wound on her shoulder.

 “Let's get back to the Tower. Banner will know what to do with that,” Pepper placed her hand on Olivia’s shoulder and led her away.

 “What do we do about them?” Olivia asked. The press, reporters, and paparazzi began gathering in droves. She looked around and spied a sidewalk leading into Central Park.

 “Oh my gosh, is that Iron Man?!” Olivia screamed, pointing up to the the sky. The reporters looked up to see whatever Olivia was pointing to. She and Pepper swiftly walked off as the paparazzi searched for Tony Stark.

* * *

 

 “What did she do to get a bullet to the shoulder?” Banner asked as he operated on mending Olivia’s grazed wound. The girl was placed under sedative. She had demanded to do so, despite Bruce’s reassurance that the procedure would only last a little while and wouldn't even hurt after he used some numbing medicine.

 “She proceeded to beat seven men to a pulp and rescued a kid from being kidnapped,” Pepper explained, worriedly looking at Olivia. Silence filled the room as the Avengers exchanged weird looks.

 “Yeah, so what actually happened?” Barton asked, smirking at Pepper’s supposed ‘funny behavior’.

 “I believe you will find Miss Potts’ statement to be true, Mr. Barton,” Jarvis chimed in. “There are several online news articles you may find interesting. I'm sending them to the nearest Stark tablet.”

 “Jarvis isn't lying, guys,” Stark showed the StarkPad. The article he pulled up read: ‘Mysterious Girl Come To The Rescue.’ Apparently she was capable of doing something heroic and wanted to do so.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_ **

  
  


_ The sound of whirring machinery filled the room. Olivia found herself standing at one end of the room, a pile of notebooks and binders in her arms. Her blonde hair was roughly and unevenly cut above her shoulders. A large shirt and black pants hung from her bony frame. Her feet were bare and she could feel the cool stone floor that vibrated from the heavy machinery.  _

_  A person could be seen across the room. _

_  “Come along, girl,” the mysterious person said as it stared at her. She shook her head and nervously gulped.  _

_  “I don't want to get in that machine again. I want to remember,” she said, her voice shaking wildly.  _

_  “You know what will happen to you if you don't comply,” the person ominously warned.  _

_  Her surroundings changed and she was lying on a hospital bed. She couldn't move. She was strapped to the bed. The same, mysterious person stood in a corner beside another unknown person. _

_  “She's too unstable. She won't listen to anything we command her. It's best to put her under sedation, sir,” the scientist sitting at the edge of the bed reported.  _

_  “No,” the first mysterious person demanded. “Finish the procedure. She has to learn to comply.” _

_  The scenes skipped like a broken CD. The hospital bed was prevalent, and so was the machine room. Sometimes scenes of a large room with people in it would appear. Once or twice, a scene of a decimated facility and a person blowing it up would appear.  _

_  “This is Project Omega,” an unknown voice would say.  _

_  Another voice chanted: “Stay low, go fast. Kill first, die last. One shot, one kill. Not luck, all skill.”  _

_  One final voice said: “You will be the destruction of any who dare defy us. You are Project Omega.”  _

 “Aaaah! NO!!” Olivia screamed, and jerked violently awake. In the process of her waking up, she knocked a lamp from off the bedside table and it landed with a crash. She jolted from her bed, jumped up to sit, and felt her stomach churn. 

 She jumped from her bed and ran to the bathroom, barely missing the broken lamp shards. Almost crashing into the bathroom door, she bolted inside and threw up. She let out a quavering sigh and backed against the wall before hugging her legs. 

 “Miss Olivia,” Jarvis made the girl jump. “Are you alright?” 

 “Yeah, ...I'm fine,” Olivia assured through a shaky voice, though even she doubted that she was alright. She ran a hand over her face and rested her chin on her knees. It would be a while until she could actually go back to sleep. 

An annoying beeping filled the air. Olivia groaned before signing. 

 “Jarvis, why'd you set the alarm? I don't have any school to do,” Olivia muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

 “Ma’am, Captain Rogers informed me that you have a run to get to,” Jarvis answered. 

 Olivia huffed. “Fine,” she grumbled, rising from her place in the bathroom. She forgot that she had ended up sleeping here and ran a hand through her hair. It seemed to be getting more curled now that she was in a healthier condition. 

 Olivia shook her head and huffed. That occurrence from last night wouldn't die down for a while. She tried to ignore the incident and think happy thoughts, but it didn't seem to disappear. 

 She quickly changed into a pair of shorts, tennis shoes, and a larger shirt. She put on a jacket to hide the bandage from her previous wound. Olivia then met Steve in the lobby. He had a light purple, black, and grey bike in one hand. 

 Olivia grinned at the bike. 

 “That looks awesome,” she said, taking the bike into her own hands. Olivia jumped onto the  bike and wheeled it away before Steve could say anything else. 

 “Where are you going?!” Steve swiftly ran up. 

 “The Park! That's where we're going, right?” she said, not bothering to look behind her. 

 “You're going the wrong way!”

 “Am not!” Olivia stopped. “I'm going the wrong way aren't I?” 

 Steve shook his head. “You do know there's a sign right here!”

 “I can't read the sign, Steve!” she retorted, bringing around the bike. 

 “It's right there!” 

 “Well, excuuuuuuse me. I can't help it if I need glasses,” she grumbled. Steve furrowed his brow.

 “I'm gonna tell Stark about that,” Steve said, the sentence sounded like a taunt from a little kid. 

 “Be my guest. I'd really enjoy actually being able to see something,” Olivia said before following Steve on her bike. 

 Steve began at a sprint-type pace. Olivia struggled to keep up. She tried her best though, believing that it'd be good to at least stay in shape. They stopped for a water break when Olivia noticed a bulletin board with an awning to keep the rain off of the notices.

 One notice with black paper and white ink read: ‘Open House - Carnegie Hall’s Annual Teen Resource Fair.’

 “Ooh, Steve! Look at this!” she said, snatching the paper and shoving it in Steve’s face. “It's a cool thing they're having. At Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall is amazing! Plus, it could...you know...keep my mind off of stuff, but it's Carnegie Hall! Plus, it's learning!” she grinned brightly. 

 “Why don't we actually accomplish something today?” Steve scoffed. 

 “Please, Steve? Pretty please? Even if the physical appearance of the ‘please’ doesn’t make the please any better?” she rapidly said the last part better while she smiled. Steve looked dumbfounded.  

 “...Fine. But we're finishing our workout first.” 

 “Yay!” she cheered and jumped back on her bike before riding away.

* * *

 

 Olivia and Steve walked into the Hall. She smiled and straightened out her blue blazer before letting out a satisfied sigh. She wore a shirt that had a sparkled collar and a deep, blue sweater as well as jeans and sneakers. The bandage on her shoulder was still there and she wondered if it was doing fine. 

 The Hall was filled with booths of all kind, and most of them featured education of some kind. It had been so long since she had actually been in one of these. The sight made her giddy with excitement. 

 “I'm gonna look around,” she said, hugging her satchel. 

 “Be my guest,” Steve shrugged. He wore a baseball cap that covered his face. Olivia squealed before quickly walking off. Steve followed a little behind, looking at his surroundings as well.

 A group consisting of a double bass, two violins, and a viola stood at one corner. The instruments were all black and shined in the light. 

 Olivia was definitely intrigued. She slowly walked over, retrieving a vintage looking camera that Pepper had given her for a scrapbook opportunity. She dug it from her satchel and snapped a few pictures. 

 “...Can I help you?” a teenager walked up from a booth close by. He had a kind expression, as well as caramel colored eyes and chestnut hair. He wore a blue, leather jacket, jeans, and a Hawkeye shirt. 

 “No, I was just looking at the string instruments. They look like they're-”

 “Carbon Fiber,” he nodded., finishing her sentence. “And can I ask why you thought they looked like carbon fiber?”

 “Well, I'm normally always around carbon fiber items. I can immediately recognize the polyacrylonitrile, and then the rayon pitch, and… I'm a nerd,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.  

 “It's all good. I've never heard someone say polyacrylonitrile the right way,” he grinned. “Nice satchel, by the way,” he said, gesturing to her satchel. It had the engraving of the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on it. Did that mean he was an agent? Or did he just like Eagles for some strange reason? 

 Olivia could feel her face heat and she hoped that her face wasn't beet red. “You're a science nerd too?” 

 He nodded and hummed in agreement. “I'm also the one who made that carbon fiber double bass. I play it.”

 “You didn't make that!” she said, looking at the double bass with awe. “I can hardly make an Intelligent Data Analyzer!” she held a file in one hand. 

 “IDA?” he asked. “Can I see?” 

 She narrowed her eyes at him.

 “Am I really that suspicious looking?” he laughed. 

 “No, I guess not. I just wondered if you were going to steal my idea. It's just an idea, after all. But I hardly know your name.” 

 “Kaiden, at your service,” he mocked a bow and let out a laugh. 

“Olivia, at yours,” She laughed as well and mocked a curtsy. 

 “And, I'm guessing, Olivia, that that's your dad, watching us like a hawk?” Kaiden gestured behind her. She nonchalantly turned around and spied Steve watching, his thumbs hooked into his belt. He looked around, seeing that Steve. 

 “You could say that. He isn't into me meeting people he doesn't know.” 

 Kaiden held a hand to his chest and mocked shock. He then shook his head. “I think that's what any dad would do, to be honest.”  

 “I appreciate him. I don't think I'd have anyone else to watch over me…” Olivia smiled, thinking back at her nightmare. To be honest, she was still worried about that nightmare… She shook her head in an effort to clear her thoughts. Her shoulder throbbed and ached in pain. She bit it back. “So, if this is your carbon fiber cello, then you must play with a group, thus the music stands.”

  Kaiden seemed amused. “Alright, Sherlock Holmes, what else you have up your sleeve?” 

_ Do you really want to get on that subject? Because we might be here all day _ , she thought, then shrugged. “I'm smart, and I was interested. You know, that whole… 2Cellos feel.”

 “Really?” he smiled. “The thing is, we need a cello player. We try to keep it all carbon fiber, so that excludes most people.”

 “And that would excludes me. I don't even think I can afford a cello,” she smiled shyly.

 Kaiden shrugged. “Ah, well,” he offered another smile and gave back the file. “It was nice to meet you Olivia, but it looks like I have a gig to get back to,” hewalked away to find the rest of his friends with instruments of their own. 

 “Alright, then,” she nodded and went back to her file. She looked back to where Kaiden stood playing his double bass. He gave a smile, and she returned the smile before waving goodbye.

* * *

 

“So… Is he nice?” Steve tried to strike up a conversation as he and Olivia rode back to the Tower. 

 “Who, the guy I was talking to?” Olivia asked, leaning one elbow on the edge of the passenger window ledge. By Steve’s silence, she already knew the answer. 

 “Yes, he is nice,” she answered with a kind smile. “And I did approach the subject with extreme caution. He was the one who began the conversation.”

 Steve nodded in understanding before leaving the subject to awkward silence. 

 “Are you lonely?” he suddenly asked. “I mean, not having any school to go to?” 

 She was a taken aback by the question. Since when did an Avenger care about her being lonely? “...Yeah, a little, I guess. I think, since my secrets kinda out about the whole...wanting to be a hero and stuff. I may ask for Natasha and Clint’s help. I'm better at science than I am at combat. I mean, at least that'll keep me occupied…”

 “And, if you want… Y’know, if you want someone to talk to, I'm here. Sometimes I have to go to the Helicarrier and some missions, but, y’know, I'm free.” 

 She wondered if she should tell him about the nightmare. No, she was fine. She had worse dreams than the one she had. “...Thanks, Steve. Do you think you could help me, too? Because, let's face it: Natasha is scary, and just from that impromptu training trial, I'm scared to even be in the same room as her.” 

 Steve chuckled. “I understand. And, yeah. I'll help.” 

 “Sounds great.” She grinned.

* * *

 

 Olivia let out a grunt before running up to the training dummy and attacking it with an attempted roundhouse kick. She missed and landed on the training mat with a thud. This was the fifth time she had tried that attack. She had missed every single time. 

 “You need some help, kid?” Barton appeared in the doorframe. 

 “I'm not exactly good at this,” she said, wiping the sweat from her brow. She huffed and tightened her ponytail. 

 “Well, let me see your moves.” Barton determined as he walked further into the room. 

 Olivia looked skeptical. “The great Hawkeye wants to see my moves?” 

 “Well you kind of just beat up seven full grown men a few days ago.” 

 “That doesn't count. They didn't even know what they were doing.” 

 “Whatever. You're like, what, thirteen?”  

 She nodded. That took Barton a while to figure out. 

 “Wait, THIRTEEN? Kid, that's awesome!”

 “And you dealt with aliens last year. A girl with emotional issues is probably the least of your problems,” she talked about herself as if she didn't matter. 

 “Ah, come on, kid. You're awesome. And I'm not as scary as Natasha. She's Russian, I think it comes naturally,” he smirked. 

 “That would make the most sense,” she smiled and laughed.

 “Okay, gotta be serious,” Barton said, setting himself in a defensive stance. Olivia did the same. 

 Barton attacked first by trying to sweep out Olivia’s feet. She swiftly jumped over the attack and backed away before throwing a kick. Barton did the same, landing a solid kick to the girl’s side. She pressed on, holding her balled fists in front of her face.  

 Olivia fought back by attempting a roundhouse kick to the head. It barely hit Barton, but it was enough to send him backwards a bit. He regained his footing and hit hard and fast with his fists. Olivia countered by holding up her arms in a defensive position. 

 She punched every now and then, but couldn't land a solid hit. Barton continued to attack until she was a few feet away from a wall. She jumped up to the wall and executed a perfect wall spin that made her fall with her hands to the ground. 

 Olivia then dropped to her back and slid like a baseball player through Clint’s legs before jumping up and attempting to kick out his feet out from under him. He saw this move coming and instead did the same to her after he had jumped over the attack.

 She landed on the mats with a  _ thud _ and let out a sigh before mopping her brow. 

 “Could use a little work. Where'd you learn how to fight like that, kid?” 

Barton asked, clearly impressed. 

 She shrugged. “I’m guessing it was extremely sloppy work. I was trained to work with computers, not fight with my fists. I thought it’d be good for me to try and see if I can learn defense. It’s not...going...well...”

 “That thing with the baseball slide that you did. It was cool,” he said, waving to the wall.

 “Thanks,” she grinned and walked to the door. “But I'm no SHIELD Agent, so I'll stay with my science.” 

 “You'd make a great  SHIELD agent,” Barton assured, his hands on his hips. 

 Olivia furrowed her brow and turned around. “You think so? I think the missions would give me too much anxiety.”

 “You can't let that stop you, kid. Something unexpected might come up on a mission. Gotta be ready at all times. You should really keep it in mind, though.” 

 “I will. Thanks, Clint,” she smiled, and walked out of the room. 


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_ **

  
  


 Olivia was on edge throughout the remaining week. Her sleep always differed in hours because of the dream. Sometimes, she was even too afraid to fall asleep. 

 She managed most of the time, but other times she would wake up with a scream. Steve had woken to check up on Olivia once or twice, and she would say that she was fine, but in all reality, she really wasn't. Sometimes she wondered if Steve had told anyone of the problems she was having. 

 But she didn't want to worry about it so she spent most of her time either biking with Steve - where Steve surprisingly didn't even ask about the nightmares - or sparring with Steve or Clint and sometimes Natasha. Other times, she would spend her time perfecting her Intelligent Data Analyzer. Olivia would be okay. She promised herself that much.  

 After a week of the problem had gone by, she nonchalantly walked into the kitchen to get a snack while she held a book with one hand. Olivia ignored all reality while she researched about wireless connections. 

 Steve was also in the kitchen as he sat down to read the book Olivia had given him from a few days ago. 

 “Hey, Liv,” he greeted and flicked to the next page. Olivia didn't respond and instead just read her book while she got down a mug and a few other ingredients from the cabinets. 

 She proceeded to blankly measure everything and successfully missed putting everything into the cup. It just landed on the counter. Still, Olivia continued as she read her book. 

 “Liv,” Steve tapped the girl’s shoulder. She whipped around and held out the pointed end of the spoon she retrieved. Her face was contorted into one of pure fear. It was...odd, to say the least. 

 “What's the problem?” 

 Olivia shook her head. “It's nothing.” 

 “It doesn't look like ‘nothing’.”

 “I just wasn't paying attention, that’s all,” she muttered.

 “Have you been having those nightmares?” Steve asked, setting his hand on her shoulder and giving the shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

 “I'm completely fine,” Olivia said, shrugging away Steve’s hand. 

 “How long are you going to keep this up?” Steve asked, setting his hands on his hips. He looked at Olivia expectantly. The girl looked awkwardly to the side, her bright blue eyes filled with concern. 

 “As long as I can, I guess,” she replied, sweeping the contents off the counter and into the cup. She messily stirred the contents before throwing it into the microwave and haphazardly setting the time. 

 “It won't go away if you ignore it.” 

 “But I can try,” she replied, closing her book and staring off into the distance. 

 Steve reached across the counter and handed the girl a brochure. “You talked about being lonely. Maybe this’ll help.”

 Olivia furrowed her brow before looking at the brochure. It was glossy and had a picture of a large, white building. She opened the brochure and spied three divisions that were Communications, Operations, and Science  & Technology.

 “What's this?” she asked, looking at the brochure with a mixture of excitement and intrigue. 

 “Apparently, SHIELD has its own program. I asked Barton about it and if you needed to be accepted into the Science & Technology section, you'll need at least one PhD. You've already been to college before, so…”

 “There's one problem. I don't have my PhD on hand. And I don't know my last name.”

 “Background checks,” Tony said, walking into the room. “All they need is your first name and the rest is easy. I'm pretty sure that no other kid who graduated school at the age of ten.” 

 “And we're going today,” Barton walked in with Natasha. Both were in plainclothes. 

 “We’re going to the SHIELD Academy?” Olivia’s eyes widened. 

 “Yep,” Natasha nodded. 

 Olivia giggled giddily before running off. 

 “Where are you going?” Steve asked, peeking around the corner. 

 “Getting a different outfit to wear! I can't go to the Academy like this!” she answered and came back moments later in a knee-length, blue and white floral dress. Her curled hair was held back halfway. In her hands was a red sweater, and on her shoulder was her ever present satchel. A pair of sparkly flats were her shoes. 

 “Ready,” she grinned and walked with the others to the Quinjet.

* * *

 

 The SHIELD Academy was located in a classified area. It was comprised of large, rectangular buildings and surrounded by trees.

 “Whoa,” Olivia said as she looked at the major hanger that the Quinjet had landed in. It was filled with other Quinjets and airplanes. 

 “Welcome Agents Romanoff and Barton,” a lady with an English accent and fancier wear said as she nodded to the two assassins. “I assume this is the girl you mentioned?”

 “This is Olivia,” Natasha introduced and Olivia reached out a hand for the lady to shake.

 “Agent Anne Weaver,” the lady introduced herself. “I'll be showing you around today.”

 “Really?” Olivia asked. “I get to be shown around the Academy by a real Agent of SHIELD!” she smiled and looked back at the Avengers who all, except Barton, smirked.  

 “Natasha and I are Agents!” he said as he furrowed his brow. 

 “Yeah, but you guys aren't as knowledgeable with science as Agent Weaver is,” Olivia said, looking at Natasha and Barton with an infuriating smirk on her face. 

 “Indeed, though the Operations Academy would be honored to have the two Agents visit.” Agent Weaver nodded, then turned away. “If you'll follow me, then we can get started.” 

 “Yay!” Olivia quietly cheered, then dug her camera from her purse. “Is it fine if I take pictures?” 

 “In certain places, yes. I'll tell you when you can,” Agent Weaver said as she began walking out of the hangar. Olivia followed closely behind and so did the Avengers. 

 All around, students in formal attire walked around with filled bookbags. The buildings surrounding the group were large and rectangular. A cafe could be seen as well and it was filled with students who sat at tablets, MacBooks, and even some devices that the students made themselves. 

 “The Academy of Science and Technology (or as the students and faculty here like to call Sci-Tech) was founded by SHIELD and was a source of schooling for some of the world’s brightest minds. This Academy is the hardest to be accepted into and Cadets are required to have at least one PhD to at least be considered,” Agent Weaver informed. 

 “What's the youngest Cadet to ever be accepted?” Olivia asked.

 “That would be Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons; accepted at the age of eighteen. But if you were accepted, you would hold the record.” 

 “Really?” Olivia seemed impressed as she and Weaver walked into the main building. 

 “Indeed. From what I have heard, not many people have a thinking capacity like yours.”

 “Well… It's kind of true, I guess,” Olivia blushed and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. “Do you often get students as young as twenty?” she wandered through the main building’s hall and saw many more students walking about. 

 “It is something of regular occurrence here,” Agent Weaver said. “Though it really is impressive for twenty-year-olds to get accepted as well as already have a PhD.” 

 “I guess that's true…” Olivia hummed in thought. 

 “I believe it will interest you to know that Sci-Tech was built in the buildings that originally housed the Strategic Science Reserve.”

 “The SSR?!” Olivia gaped at the mention. “Steve! Steve, this used to be the SSR!” 

 “Did it now?” Steve smiled, though he already knew that fact. The tour continued as Agent Weaver showed Olivia the Wall of Valor, where the Agents who had fallen in service were honored. Agent Weaver also showed Olivia the cafeteria, as well as the Holographic Studies Class, and the History of SHIELD class. 

 The last part of the tour was the labs. Olivia had asked - more like begged - that she saw the labs once Agent Weaver mentioned them. 

 It was classy when she first walked in. Bright, white light flooded in. Wood desks with built in bookshelves and reading areas stood in a row. Behind those was a wood bookshelf that held science textbooks of varying thicknesses. Chairs stood behind this and behind the chairs were several sectioned off areas where most of the experiments were dealt with. 

 In one of these areas was a familiar looking face. 

 “Olivia!” Kaiden, who just so happened to be working in the area came out in a crisp, white lab coat.

 “I knew it!” Olivia quietly cried out. “Hold on, you're only what? fifteen, maybe sixteen? How can you be here?” 

 “My dad, actually, teaches the Chemical Kinetics class. I'm allowed a limited amount of access and as long as I don't blow anything up, I'm allowed to do stuff! Dad kinda took over for Franklin Hall after…” Kaiden winced. “Yeah. Can I ask what you're doing here? And with the Avengers standing behind you?” 

 “We're her babysitters,” Tony said with a smirk. 

 Kaiden shook his head and looked between the two groups of people. “Please tell me you're joking.” 

 “Nope,” Clint grinned cheesily.

 “That's Hawkeye,” Kaiden looked dazedly at the master archer assassin before slowly pulling out his phone and snapping a picture. “Just wait until my friends hear about this.”

 “Hear about what?” a girl with an English accent walked in as well as a taller blonde boy. 

 “Oh, Olivia. My friends. Mercedes, (but we call her Mercy) and Anthony (but we call him Arlo,)” Kaiden said as he pointed to the two. The girl had darker skin and wore her hair in a bun. She also wore a jacket over a white shirt as well as jeans and ankle boots. The boy had messy blonde hair and wore a plain white shirt, a blue overcoat, as well as jeans and converse. 

 “Mercy’s dad works over at teaching Communications and Arlo’s studying at Operations. It's all good,” Kaiden smiled.

 “You all have nicknames for each other?” Olivia asked. 

 “Yeah!” Kaiden smiled. “I'm just Kai, though. Kinda boring, but, you know. Mercy plays the violin in our Carbon Fiber Strings Group, and Arlo’s… Arlo’s just Arlo.”

 “Is that the Avengers?” Mercy asked, stunned at the super’s appearance. 

 “Honestly, Mercedes, you see them on tv all the time,” Arlo rolled his eyes and set his hands on his hips. 

 “But...it’s in real life! That's the real Tony Stark!” Mercy stared and gaped. The billionaire waved and smirked. 

 “I'm staying with them for a while. It's Director Fury’s orders,” Olivia stated proudly.

 “Really?” 

 “Mercy, Olivia’s making her own Analyzer/Hacker bug prototype!” Kaiden smiled.

 “What?!” Mercy blurted and then ran up to Olivia. “You have to show me!”

 “Uh, sure…” Olivia complied somewhat awkwardly and then took the blueprint from her satchel. She handed it to Mercy, who snatched it right up.

 “Oh, my, gosh! Look how absolutely brilliant this is!” she practically shoved the blueprint to Arlo. He ignored the blueprint and rolled his eyes.

 “How smart are you to have made this?!” Mercy stared at Olivia with awe. “I mean, I'm only fourteen, and I can crack codes, but this is a whole different level.”

 “It's rough and I haven't had practice with codes in forever, so I've lost a few ideas.”

 Mercy gasped a little too loudly for Olivia’s comfort. “I could help! You live at the Tower, right? Maybe we could meet at the library!” her eyes sparkled with excitement.  

 “Yay,” Arlo muttered before rolling his eyes. “More nerds for me to deal with.”

 “Don't mind Arlo. He doesn't appreciate science,” Mercy smirked and shook her head.

 “Gee, I really don't know what that's like at all,” Olivia rolled her eyes.

 “I know right?! It's like you want to keep talking about it, but you can just see that they don't care,” Mercy said.

 “Oh my gosh! Yes! It's like don't you people at least appreciate it?!” Olivia laughed. The two girls were soon treating each other like old friends.

* * *

 

 “Captain Rogers,” Weaver walked up with a file in hand. 

 “Agent Weaver,” Steve greeted. 

 “We did background checks on the girl. She seems to have graduated from the California Institute of Technology with several degrees and is registered under the surname of ‘Hale’. The information could be useful to your search for her parents. But… Miss Olivia seems to enjoy it here.” 

 Steve nodded in understanding, though he refrained from saying anything.

 A small graced Agent Weaver’s face. “If Agent Barton had told me correctly - and I don't doubt that he has - she seems to struggle with depression and anxiety. She doesn't seem to show those problems. I think it would immensely improve her health if she is around those that she shares similarities with.

 “With the degrees she has been given, she would most likely have some sort of chance with succeeding here. But… I'm not the one who makes that decision. I would give the information to Fury yourself,” Weaver concluded before handing over the file. 

 Steve nodded. “Understood. I'll make sure he gets the file. Thanks.” 

 But...would he tell Fury? 


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_ **

  
  


 “I see you have news for me, Rogers,” Fury observed as Steve walked into the office with the thin file in hand. 

 “I thought you'd want that information as soon as you had it,” Steve defended himself and smacked down the file on the director’s desk. “I don't know why you didn't just check the colleges with a ten-year-old named Olivia. Surprisingly enough, there aren't many out there.” 

 “Well, excuse me. I needed the girl in mint condition before I sent her away,” Fury said, picking up the file and flicking it open. “It's only been two and a half months, Rogers. I didn't think a person could become so attached.” 

 “I want the best for this kid. She practically deserves it,” Steve said. He looked at Fury directly in the eye. 

 “You're not her dad, Rogers,” Fury retorted. 

 “Well, I might as well be,” Steve snapped, his forehead wrinkled in thought. “She doesn't deserve to be in an asylum, Nick. She deserves to be around people who care about her. She just made friends. If you take her away to an asylum, she might never have that opportunity again. You haven't done background checks on her parents. What if they're still alive? Then, Liv could have a her family.” 

 “‘Liv’?” Fury mused. He looked up from his file and raised an eyebrow at the man standing in front of him. “She's got a nickname now?” 

 Steve only looked at Fury with a ‘no-nonsense’ attitude written across his face. 

 Fury shook his head and sighed harshly. “Fine. I'll work on it. I can't promise anything, though.”

* * *

 

 “No, no, that's not how it works! If one of the Avengers are called away to deal with something, I don't just haphazardly follow in. I can't just follow Captain America into the jaws of death,” Olivia argued. Today was a Saturday, and the only people at the Tower were her and Pepper because of a dispute that the Avengers needed to solve. 

 Pepper sat nearby at the kitchen bar as she worked on paperwork for Stark Industries. Natasha and Clint were on a mission, Steve and Banner were in a SHIELD Facility, Stark was on a business trip that was more trip and less business and Thor would be back later with Jane and Darcy after he picked them up from the airport. 

 So that left the two girls by themselves. They often enjoyed each other’s company. Olivia stood at one end of the kitchen with a Stark Phone that she was gifted until further notice. It worked similarly to an iPhone, but was extremely thin. She held a project in hand and occasionally hummed as she worked on taking it apart. 

 “So you just have to sit at the Tower and do nothing until at least one person comes back?” Mercy and Kai were on the other end of the multi-person FaceTime call. They busied themselves with their hobbies. 

 “Not actually,” Olivia said, retrieving the phone and carrying it over to the counter. “I have Pepper. And we go for walks if the threat isn't in Central Park area.”

 The ginger assistant leaned over to see the phone. “Are these the news friends Steve told me about?”

 Olivia hummed in agreement. “This is Kai, or Kaiden, and Mercy, or Mercedes. I met them during my tour at the Academy. Guys, this is Pepper.”

 The two teenagers waved and Pepper waved back. “It's nice to meet all of you.” Pepper said, a smile lighting up her face. She was pleased that Olivia had made some friends to keep her company. 

 “Lunch, Liv?” Pepper asked, rising from her chair. 

 “Just a sandwich, thanks!” Olivia said with a grin. 

 “I still can't believe you actually live with the Avengers,” Mercy spoke up. She had her carbon fiber violin in hand and quietly plucked the strings. 

“It's hard for me to believe sometimes, too,” Olivia agreed with a smile. 

 “Any news on the Academy?” Kai asked. 

 “Nope,” Olivia said before sighing. She popped the ‘p’ on the end and turned back to her project. “Clint said that we have to do an Analysis at the Base before they can even consider me. He and Natasha have been on a mission for close to a week now, so…” 

 “Eh, they'll accept you,” Kai assured. “I mean, you're THE genius. How could they turn you down?” 

 “And when you do get in, you'll totally rock the Annual Science Fair!” Mercy said. 

 It took Liv a while to take in what Mercy was saying. She blinked a few times. “The what now?” 

 “Annual Science Fair!” Kai and Mercy said in unison. 

“You submit your Project, as well as a detailed description. Depending on how well you do, you can win awesome prizes! I know a few people who won ultimate tool boxes, as well as meeting FitzSimmons!” Kai’s eyes sparkled in delight. 

 “Aren't those the youngest people to graduate the Sci-Tech Academy?” Olivia asked. 

 “Yep!” Mercy said as she hummed in agreement. 

 “That's cool!” Olivia said.

 “ _ Ms. Olivia _ ,” Jarvis spoke up, “ _ it is time for you to meet with your new training counselor. _ ” 

 That was right. Before Clint left he said that Olivia needed a new training counselor. She would be meeting him today. But as much as she like training, she really didn't want to change anything.

 She sighed. “Well, I have to go. Sorry, guys. Training and things like that.”

 “Training?” 

 “Can't you just like science?” Kai and Mercy asked the two questions in unison. 

 Olivia laughed lightly. “If you live with the Avengers, you kinda have to learn how to defend yourself. I'll talk to you guys later, I guess.”

 The three teenagers exchanged goodbyes before ending the conversation. Olivia headed to the gym to do some training.

* * *

 

 When Olivia found the gym, she was surprised to see Anthony standing with his hands on his hips. He wore a SHIELD shirt, as well as jeans. His messy blonde hair was styled the same way as he had it at the Academy when she met him a week ago. 

 “YOU’RE my training counselor?” she asked, pointing accusingly at him. She grimaced. At the Academy, he seemed like he hated the Sci-Tech division. Just his presence made her feel inferior. 

 He only nodded. 

 “Don't you have school?” she seriously wondered if this was Clint’s idea of a joke. If so, then his humor was terrible. 

 “Nope. The Academy has study and sparring days on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm here until my parents need me for something.” 

 “You have parents?” 

 “You don't?” 

 Olivia huffed and placed her hands on her hips. “No. I don't.” 

 “That's right,” Anthony nodded. “No matter. Clint took the opportunity to give me training footage.” 

 “There's absolutely no privacy for me,” Olivia huffed. 

 “‘Fraid not. Now, you're training styles are not ideal,” He said as he began walking over to her. “You're more like a...couch potato and less like an Agent of SHIELD.” 

 “What if that's the plan?” Olivia said. She pointed at Anthony with both hands as she cracked a smile. 

 “Not a good plan,” Anthony deduced. “What you're practicing is the art of being a lazy butt.” 

 Olivia furrowed her brow and raised a hand in order to prove a point. “For your information, I seemed to be doing just well. Clint said so himself.” 

 Anthony leaned toward Olivia. “You're a doormat. Do you know what a doormat is? It's a-” 

 “I know what a doormat is. The literal and figurative meaning, thanks. And I'm not a doormat!” 

 “You use your health problems as an excuse to be treated a little nicer. That won't work in real life.” 

 “But-” 

 “No! No excuses. You won't be accepted for missions if you're a wimp!” Anthony snapped. He looked at Olivia with a mixture of anger and annoyance. 

 She grit her teeth. She wasn't a wimp. And for him to openly state such a thing in such a way made him an absolute jerk! Olivia sighed, puffing out her cheeks in aggravation. 

 Anthony stopped to stare at the girl. He then stood straight, his arms at his side. 

 “Go ahead and attack me with a roundhouse kick. Aim for my face,” He said. 

 “It'll be my pleasure,” she grumbled and took a somewhat sloppy stance. Olivia swung her leg up to execute a roundhouse kick. Anthony realized the problem with the attack and used the tip of his toe to push back Olivia’s leg. He then stepped back and watched the girl as she was thrown off balance. Olivia landed on the floor before letting out a pained ‘ow’. She rubbed her backside and glared at Anthony. 

 “What was that for?!” She yelled demandingly.

 “Wow,” Anthony chuckled and shook his head. “Not even a solid stance. Clint said that was especially difficult for you.” 

 “Geez, nothing's a secret anymore, is it?” Olivia grumbled and pushed herself off the ground. She wandered over to the water station that sat on a nearby counter and grabbed a bottle of water before chugging it down. 

 “Clint said you had great dodging maneuvers, but your attacks need major work. I guess we'll start with the basics, especially stance. Okay, first of all, this is not the art of being a lazy butt. It's either kill, or be killed. And science can't help you out of it.” 

 Olivia turned and walked towards Anthony. “Can I please see your hand?” 

 “Why?” Anthony narrowed her eyes at her.  

 “Just let me see your hand,” she said, holding at an expectant hand. Anthony did so and Olivia faced it so the palm was facing up.

 “Right, so in your hands have two major nerves: the Ulnar nerve and the Median nerve,” Olivia said, pointing to two close places on his wrist. “There's also a nerve just right by it, but that really doesn't matter. If you went like this,” she jabbed her finger onto the left side of the wrist. Anthony let out a stifled cry of pain, “that happens. You get my point?” 

 Anthony glared at the girl. She smiled goofily and practically bounced away. Before she could say anything, Anthony kicked out under her and she landed face first on the ground with a thud.

 “I'm just about done with you,” she growled and stood once more. 

 “The feeling’s mutual,” Anthony said as he flexed his fingers. He let out a sigh. “We'll just work on stance today and you'll perfect it throughout the week. Copy me,” He was soon in fighting stance and she copied. 

 Anthony looked at her in thought. He held his chin with one hand and looked her up and down. 

 “Let's see here…” he walked over to her and spaced out her feet just a little more. 

 “Feet grounded about a shoulder width apart…” he then dipped her head down a little more. “You have to look forward, though. If you keep looking down, odds are, you're not paying attention. Guard up, elbows down. Hold one hand low, and one hand high. ...There.”

 “Do I look good?” 

 Anthony nodded slightly. “You can practice automatically jumping into that stance and keeping it as you walk back and forth. You'll never stay in the same place when you're attacked. Our goal is to combine your evasive maneuvers with your attacks by the time that Barton and Romanoff return from their mission. This will be in a week. I've made Pepper and Jarvis hide any sort of unhealthy snacks. If you want to look for them, it requires exercise in the process. A list of what I want for you to do for the week will be on the gym doors. I expect training reports every day. Jarvis will give those.

 “Clint said that you bike with Steve. I want you to change that go running. You can push yourself, but overworking yourself is dangerous. You get my point?” Anthony asked, walking to the entrance of the gym. He turned around and looked expectantly at Olivia. 

 “Yeah, I get it,” Olivia nodded and rubbed her sore backside. Why had she agreed to this?

 Oh, wait. She hadn't. 


	7. Chapter 7

**_Chapter 7_ **

  
  


  “ _ Today's Proverb: If you love someone, set them free. Set them free now. This is the police. We have you surrounded.”  _

 Olivia laughed at the dry statement before selecting a new podcast episode on her official phone. Tony had given over the phone after seeing that she needed some sort of type of communications whenever she was left at the Tower alone. She now had a phone and the background was a picture of a gigantic selfie she had taken with the Avengers, as well as a begrudged looking Fury, and a few agents who probably only wanted to get into the picture in order to say that they had taken an actual selfie with the Avengers. 

 “ _ The glow cloud, meanwhile, has moved on. It is now just a glowing spot in the distance, humming east to destinations unknown. We may never…”  _ the monotonous tone of the radio host floated in from Olivia’s headphones as she wrote in German on the pieces of paper in front of her. Olivia sighed, the voice of Cecil Palmer still filling her thoughts.

  She stared at the pieces of paper that were strewn about her. They were all mathematical and scientific equations. Olivia felt that if she was going to calm down on the constant rambling, she was going to have to at least write about it. It was like her brain was only thinking about science and math, which, wasn't necessarily a problem, except for the fact that her head would hurt and her ears would ring if she didn't write or talk about. 

 Olivia straightened, then winced from the sharp pain that radiated from her shoulders. Anthony had beaten her to a pulp for the past week. After school for the day, Anthony had taken his special time to teach Olivia with combat. 

 He had nearly given up multiple times before, which Olivia was actually relieved about, but then the blonde teenager would hop back at it. Olivia was surprised that Anthony wasn't at all frustrated. Maybe that was just what he always looked like and Olivia didn't know any other expression he had. 

 The only thing Olivia earned from the whole training experience was countless bruises and a near hatred for Anthony Jonathan McKibbon. That was his full name, after all. She had taken up the liberty to find the file about Anthony and noticed that he was just a normal person. He was chosen for a place at the Operations Academy because of his inability to stay in school. Olivia didn't bother talking to Anthony about this, and she hoped that no one would ask what happened to Clint’s laptop. In order to cover her tracks, she set an unrecoverable virus on the laptop and set the laptop in the lab. Clint would never look there for his computer. 

 Olivia also hoped that Fury wouldn't know about her looking at the Agent’s files without his consent. 

 She shrugged to herself, then winced. 

 “...Ow,” she grumbled and rubbed her raw shoulders. Exercise was terrible and all she felt was...bleh. Thank God it was only for a week. She face planted into the living room table and winced once more. 

 “You seem busy,” a woman wearing a thick infinity scarf despite the warmer weather, sat across from Olivia. She gave a goofy grin. 

 “Don't harass Liv, Darcy,” another woman with light brown hair looked over a few papers that Olivia had written down in simple English. 

 “I'm not harassing, Jane. I'm observing,” Darcy retorted, still looking at Olivia. Olivia had been introduced to the two scientists a few days before. She had taken a liking to Jane, and Darcy was more of a ‘prank on special occasions’ sort of person, but she was still cool. 

 “Do you know what it feels like to be beaten into a pulp, Darcy?” Olivia asked as she ran a hand through her streaked, long brown hair. 

 “No, but I'm pretty sure Thor does. He got turned into a human once,” Darcy jerked her thumb to the blonde god sitting at the table. He held a book in hand that was named ‘Norse Mythology’ and looked awkwardly at it at some points. 

 “Yes, it was all very interesting, but I do not believe a ‘pulp’ is the correct term for the challenges I had faced while in mortal form,” Thor nodded. He wore regular clothing and his hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. 

 “Well, if it weren't for him, I couldn't even think about what would've happened to New Mexico,” Jane said, still looking over the information. “Olivia, is all this from your head?” Jane asked as she held up the papers. 

 Olivia nodded and hummed in agreement. “I think about stuff and just write it down. It's practically my lifestyle,” she shrugged once again and winced before planting her face back into the table. 

 “What's up, Liv?” Steve walked in.

 “Ow,” she replied while running a hand over her face. 

 “‘Ow’?” Steve cocked an eyebrow at the girl who sat with her arms and legs dangling. 

 “Ow,” she replied and winced again. “Anthony beat the crud out of me. I feel like spaghetti. No, not spaghetti, jello. I feel like jello.”  

 Darcy scoffed and smirked at the girl. “Can you even feel like jello?”

 Olivia nodded. “Yes, It happens when you're beaten to a pulp.” 

 “Really? That bad?” Steve asked, sitting at the table. 

 “Ow. Are Clint and Natasha back, yet?” 

 “They'll be back in a few hours. Why?” Steve reclined in his chair. 

 “I wanna get this over with. I'm a scientist, not an agent,” Olivia said, her face still planted onto the table. “If anything, I'll be a science person like FitzSimmons.” 

 “You can do it,” Steve assured before making a face. “FitzSimmons?” 

 “Amazing, amazing people who are a mechanic and a bio-chemist. They're, like, the best people on the whole planet. ...Other than a few other people I know,” Olivia smiled brightly, then grimaced. 

 “...So, I spoke to Director Fury, and-”

 “Oh, yay. Director Tough Guy. What does he want with me?” Olivia interrupted sarcastically. 

 “...He needs you at their Base. They think they've got a lead on your background,” Steve grinned. 

 “Really?!” Olivia blurted as she swiftly looked up from her place at the table. Jane, Darcy, and Thor looked from their things and smiled. Olivia grimaced, but managed a bright smile. Steve only grinned and nodded.

 “That's awesome! Maybe I'll actually know a little about my past!” the girl grinned and nodded. “So when are we going?” 

 “Right now,” Steve said.

* * *

 

 Olivia looked around the Base with awe as she took it all in. Agents walked around everywhere. Scientists in crisp, white lab coats handed over information.

 “So you guys have a Helicarrier, and a Base?” Olivia asked as she straightened the blazer that covered her Imagine Dragons shirt. 

 “SHIELD likes to have lots of places to be at,” Steve said, looking around him as well. He was the one to take Olivia to the Base because everyone was still occupied. Her phone buzzed and she dug it from her satchel.  

 The text was from Mercy. It read: **Arlo's not exactly...kind when you first meet him. You are okay, right?**

 Mercy knew about Olivia’s problem of the week. She puffed out a sigh and sent:  **:P I'll be fine once I get some science. Science is nice.**

Mercy replied with:  **Haha. You, me and Kai need to just exchange our findings. ...Speaking of science, are you planning for the Science Fair?**

Olivia furrowed her brow and replied with:  **The Science Fair? How do you know that I'm not actually going to totally fail at getting into the Academy?**

**Oh, come on, Liv!** Mercy texted. Apparently everyone loved the new nickname she was given. Olivia didn't even know how she actually got the nickname.  **You're capable!**

Olivia looked from her phone to the place where she was headed. It was a glass room with the familiar eagle symbol printed onto it. In the room were two people: Agent Hill and Director Fury. 

 “I'll be standing at the back if you need me, Liv,” Steve curtly nodded as the two walked into the room. Olivia hoped this wasn't an interrogation. She didn't really...agree with interrogations. 

 She willingly took a seat at one end of the metal table and Hill took the other. In her hands was a small pile of files. Hill tapped the files on the table, set them down, and placed her hands on top. 

 “Olivia. I'll be asking you a few questions. If any of it is stressful, or overwhelming, just tell me,” Hill advised, not forgetting to punctuate her sentence with a small smile to make things a little less awkward. 

 “...Go ahead,” Olivia nodded. Her eye twitched wildly. It was a nervous gesture. She hated it. 

 Hill nodded before opening one file. “We've discovered that you're full name is Olivia Jade Hale. Does your middle or last name stir any memories?” 

 Olivia took a moment to think. Hale… No, she couldn't remember anything that had anything to do with the last name Hale. As far as she knew, a jade was just a stone. She shook her head. “No.”

 “Okay,” Hill said a little to herself. She pulled out another file and flipped through it before taking a picture out of one and placing it before Olivia. It was a picture of a man in a suit. He had dark hair, and tanned skin. He wore a suit and looked infuriatingly indignant. 

 Olivia shook as she looked at the picture. Memories of her standing in front of a tv that swirled with bright, multicolored patterns and the words ‘ _ It is best for you to comply. Will you comply, Omega? _ ’ clouded her thoughts. Olivia swallowed loudly and reached up to cover her face with her hands. The memories hurt. They made her head throb violently. 

 “Liv,” Steve’s hand on the girl’s shoulder snapped her out of the stupor she was in. 

 “No, no I can't comply,” Olivia muttered, still affected by the memories that had begun to haunt her. 

 “What?” Steve asked, confusion tinting his voice. 

 Olivia shook her head in order to fully clear her thoughts before laughing the problem off and mustering a smile. It all seemed forced. 

 “One last question: you don't remember anything about the Facility you were in?” Hill asked, looking at Olivia.

 A feeling of electric-like pain shot through Olivia and immobilized her. It was like it was warning her to not say anything. “...No,” she said, feeling no remorse for speaking a lie.

 “No, you don't remember anything, or no, you won't tell me anything?”

 “No, I don't remember anything,” Olivia snapped in annoyance. 

 “You don't remember ANYTHING?” Hill seemed skeptical. 

 Olivia scoffed. “No, I don't remember anything about the Facility I was found in! I was left there for months. I was traumatized. What makes you think I'll remember anything. I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast!”

 “...Right,” was the only thing Hill answered 

 “Any other questions?” Olivia asked to Hill, who had one eyebrow raised.

 Hill paused to think. She looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it. “Nope. You're free to go.” 

 “Well, that was fast,” Olivia observed, nearly jumping from her seat. 

 “That's all the information that we were sure you would at least know a little about. I guess we were wrong,” Hill deduced before pursing her lips. 

 “Oh,” Olivia hated that she couldn't have been a help. She didn't want to think about the thing that had resurfaced, though. That was...less than appealing. But she was also disappointed that SHIELD couldn't have found anything more than a middle and last name and a picture of a man. Why did they even think that she would even know about that man?

 But… She did know about him. She just didn't want to tell about what had happened. If the man was actually alive, then he would stop at nothing to make sure Olivia was completely under his control. He'd have to find her first. That wasn't too hard, either. 

 “Hey, Steve, do you think we can stop by the library? I want to see if I can find a few books,” Olivia wondered, a thought coming to mind. 

 “More books?” Steve playfully narrowed his eyes at the girl. She only responded with a nod and a smile.

* * *

 

 Olivia walked along the endless rows of library books. If she could, she would stay in here for days on end, simply reading book after book. But she promised Steve that ‘she'd only be a few minutes’. Her library visit would have to be cut short for today.

 All she needed was a book on types of energy distributors and she'd be set. Olivia already had a multitude of books stacked up to the tops of her shoulder. A paper with what she had planned sat on top of the pile. It was roughly sketched and several pieces of information, as well as multiple question marks surrounded the drawing. The pile was quickly growing heavy…

 She walked up to one aisle and scanned the aisles for the book she needed. Ah! There it was! ...But it was at the top of the shelf. Olivia slouched and puffed out a breath that disrupted her curled hair. She steadied the pile of books in the crook of her arm and stood on her tiptoes in order to reach. 

 “I...almost...got it…” Olivia struggled to reach for the book. She felt the pile of books begin to lean away from her. 

 “Oh come on!” Olivia hissed, knowing that yelling in a library was ill-advised.

 “Let me get that,” a boy with messy dark brown hair stepped in. He wore a blue sweatshirt that read  _ Midtown School of Science and Technology _ , jeans, and converse. A weighty looking backpack hung from one of his shoulders. 

 “What book did you need?” he asked, turning to face her. He looked to be at least her age, but was a head taller than her. 

 “‘The Science of Energy Distribution’, thanks.” 

 “School report?” he asked, plucking the book from the shelf and handing it to Olivia. He spied the note that sat haphazardly on the pile of books. 

 “Are you a fan?” he asked, gesturing to the famous red, white, and blue shield colors that were found on her plans. 

 “You could say that. I'm planning for a science fair, actually,” Olivia said, gaining a better grasp on the pile of books. She noticed how much darker her skin looked and guessed that the days spent reading on the roof of Avenger’s Tower would have caused the change from a pasty white, to a healthier glow. Olivia wondered how she had just noticed the change in skin tone. 

 “Now, you must have just moved here, because I would have at least spotted you at Midtown High. Plus, I'm pretty sure I don't have a Science Fair, or I'd be planning for it.”

 “You deduced correctly, Sherlock Holmes. I'm actually planning to go to a private school. It's filled with nerds, too, so it's going to be like a home to me,” Olivia extended her hand for him to shake. “Olivia Rogers,” she furrowed her brow slightly. Why had she used that last name? She should've used the one Agent Hill had found. But...that just didn't feel right. She mentally shook her head and plastered on a smile. 

 “Peter Parker,” he accepted the hand and fairly shook it. “You wouldn't have anything to do with Steve Rogers, right?”

 “Though that would be kind of cool, no. ...Unless you count seeing him on the news multiple times before having anything to do with him,” Olivia’s phone buzzed in her pocket. The text was from Steve and it read:  **Will I have to come and liberate you from the control of books?**

 She laughed and sent a message that read:  **Give me exactly three minutes.**

 “Well, Peter, duty calls,” Olivia said, waving her hand beside her. 

 “It was nice meeting you, Olivia. I hope you do well at your new school.” 

 “I will definitely try. Thanks for helping with the book. I assume you'll be the one to help me the next time I need to reach the top shelf.”

 “This IS where I can usually be found. It helps with Algebra.”

 “I find that to be supremely true,” Olivia nodded. “Now, I have to go before my family gets mad at me. Don't want that.”

 Peter smiled and nodded before taking the liberty to walk away. Olivia did the same. Little did she know that wouldn't be the last time she would run into Peter Parker. 


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chapter 8_ **

  
  


 Olivia awoke to a person poking her face. She stirred and swiped away the hand. It went away for but a moment before continuing in it's annoying plight. 

 Olivia cracked open one eye to see Clint standing before her, a grin plastered onto his face.

 “Hey nerd!” Clint laughed. Olivia grumbled something indiscernible before turning away from the master assassin. She had worked late the other night in her efforts in researching and constructing her science fair project. Olivia hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep on the dining room table. After pizza and (in her case) three caffeinated sweet teas, the Avengers, who were currently at the Tower on a mission said goodbye to Jane and Darcy. Clint and Natasha had arrived from their mission late at night.

 Clint pursued in poking Olivia’s face.

 The girl let out an annoyed huff. “Honestly, Clint, can’t I sleep?”

 “Nope!” Clint replied, popping the ‘p’ at the end of the word.

 “Why not?” she whined, her face still resting on the table.

 “You’ve got a SHIELD analytical survey today, nerd. How late were you up?”

 “I don’t know,” she said, “Three sounds right.”   
 Clint rolled his eyes and shook his head. “How did Steve even let you stay up that late?”

 “Steve’s Steve. He’s not my dad. I’m a free person. And...wait- The survey! How COULD I gave forgotten?! I was nearly pulverized in order to prepare for it.”

 Clint chuckled. “It was hilarious watching you get your butt kicked.”

 Olivia only shot him a glare as she stretched. “What time is it?”

 “Four in the morning.”

 “You woke me up at FOUR in the MORNING?! You let me sleep for only an hour?!”

 “You’re the one who decided to stay up that late. And besides, you gotta get an early start, slow poke. Even nerds need exercise. Steve’ll be up in an hour; you’ll go on your run then. For now, go hit the punching bag.

 “Fine.” Olivia spat out the word before she trudged away.

  After her run with Steve and a small training session with Clint, Olivia took a much needed shower and came to the communal floor wearing jeans, converse, and a SHIELD shirt she was given.

“You ready to go?” Natasha asked as she sat at the kitchen counter.

 Olivia grumpily nodded before retrieving a bottle of tea from the fridge and stole several pieces of bacon from the massive plate of breakfast Pepper had prepared for the whole team. Pepper nearly swatted the girl’s hand away, but Olivia had already stuck the pieces of bacon in her mouth. 

 Pepper smiled and rolled her eyes. “Well, I hope you do greatly, Olivia.”

 “You seem pretty happy, seeing that a thirteen-year-old will be applying for the life-endangering job of a SHIELD agent.” Olivia said, leaning against the fancy marble counter. She didn’t see Clint standing to the side, mouthing ‘no’ as he shook his head.

 Pepper stopped cooking the bacon before turning around. “You’re doing WHAT?!”

 “It’s necessary for applying for the Academy, Pepper,” Natasha cut in. “Liv only has the potentiality of becoming an agent. That’s not very idealistic, because of her young age.”

 Olivia scoffed before looking at Natasha with narrowed eyes. The assassin winked ever so slightly before grinning. Natasha mouthed ‘I’d be surprised if they didn’t offer you a position’ while Pepper busied herself with retrieving orange juice from the fridge. Olivia bit her lip nervously. What if she didn’t even make it as a student at the Academy? What if she couldn’t even make it past the first test? Her health wasn’t ideal, either.

 “Liv will do just fine,” Clint said as he smirked. Olivia stood a little straighter and curtly nodded. She could do this.

 Pepper eyed the three oddly before seceding. “Well, I still hope you do well.”   
 “I appreciate it, Pepper,” Olivia put on a grin that masked her nervous behavior.

 “You all ready to go?” Steve asked Olivia as he walked into the room.

 “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Olivia said with wavering confidence. Clint, Natasha, Steve, as well as Olivia followed each other to the elevator. 

 “What do I have in store for me?” the girl asked. She was somewhat surprised her anxiety hadn’t completely taken over. She let out a breath and crossed her arms over her chest.

 “A physical training test, another medical exam, they’ll ask you a few questions, aaaand, a background check,” Clint said.

 “You’ll ace every one of them,” Natasha assured. 

 “No need to be scared, Liv,” Steve said. 

 Olivia scoffed. “Easier said than done.”

 Steve looked deep in thought. He turned to Olivia. “Do you remember what you’re least favorite school subject was when you were growing up?”

 “That would be...Grammar. It wasn’t hard, there was just so many rules.” Olivia answered, her brow furrowed. What was the point of this?

 Natasha seemed to understand what Steve was getting at. “Imagine this is just a Grammar test. It’s easy, but it’s not your favorite.”

 Olivia nodded. “Grammar test… Once I get through this, I can say that I’m going to a SHIELD Academy AND I live with the Avengers!”

 Clint, Natasha, and Steve exchanged looks. Should they tell Olivia about her only having five months and then she’d be relocated? Those five months would end next week… Everything had gone by so quickly. What would the Tower be like without Olivia living in it?

 “This is gonna be great,” Olivia grinned.

* * *

 

 Olivia followed the three adults out of a Quinjet and onto a carrier of sorts. She looked around, seeing blue skies that were dotted with cotton ball-like clouds. The carrier floated on the water. A few agents walked around.

 “This is...less impressive,” Olivia said. She was used to seeing technology of all amazing sort. 

 “Just watch, Liv,” Steve ominously smirked. Olivia raised an eyebrow. 

 “Flight crew, secure the deck for takeoff,” a voice spoke from the intercom while men with yellow jackets and large helmets rushed around.

 “Okay, a submarine. That would impress me,” Olivia rushed to the side of the carrier and looked down at the receding water. A turbine surfaced as well as several others.

 “Turbines? This is a flying S.H.I.E.L.D base?! How could I have not noticed that?!” Olivia looked at the the ocean. The carrier lifted into the air. 

 “Nope! Can't handle heights, sorry,” Olivia scrambled to the doors of the Helicarrier. Clint and Natasha smirked before following Steve, who chuckled and joined Olivia. 

 The four walked throughout the carrier before joining with Agent Hill in a dark, suspicious room. Even when the light were on the room gave off an eerie feeling, and in the middle of the room stood a massive chair. The sight made Olivia shrink back. 

 Hill stood in front of a large table that held huge touchscreens in them. She tapped a few things on the screen before turning to face the three Avengers and one teenager. 

 “Olivia. Long time, no see,” Hill said before grinning. 

 “Is this the first test?” Olivia asked, still staring at the chair. It reminded her of an electrocution chair.

 “If you could take a seat, we can quickly get this over with,” Hill gestured to the chair before taking a seat in front of the monitor.

 Clint offered a fish bump and Olivia bumped it . “You can do it.”

 She nodded hesitantly before walking behind the monitor and taking a seat. She stared at the other screens that were hung around the monitor. This was certainly intimidating…

 Natasha and Clint walked out of the room. Steve followed, but turned around. He gave a thumbs-up and a smile.

 “I'll be right outside,” he said before Olivia hesitantly nodded and swallowed nervously. Steve exited the room and the door closed behind him.

 Hill was silent for a few minutes. As she looks at a few things on the monitor.

 “Obviously, this is a lie detector. How does it work?” Olivia asked, looking at the machine.

 “If I told you all it does, we'd be here all day.”

 “That's impressive,” Olivia mused. “Did Natasha ever manage to find a loophole?”

 “Nope.”

 “That is really impressive.”

 Hill hummed in agreement. “We’ll start with an easy question. Can I have your full name for the record?”

 “Olivia Jade Hale,” Olivia answered. It felt odd to use that last name. She didn't know why…

 “What's your eye color?”

 “Light blue.”

 “And what are your immediate family members?”

 Olivia furrowed her brow in thought. “I remember a little bit of my mom and dad. I was an only child, and...that's all I remember.”

 “What about a specific skill set?”

 Olivia shrugged. “Wherever I was, I was trained in ‘the art of sitting on my butt’. Other than that, I prefer science. So, if you need me to, say, defuse a bomb, I'm your person.”

 “You'd go so far as to try to defuse a bomb?” Hill asked, raising an eyebrow.

 “I remember doing it before. It's just something I was familiar with.”

 Hill nodded. “Have you heard anything about SHIELD?”

 “Well, before I was found, I remember in the Facility. They would talk about things like SHIELD, the Avengers, and...what was it? It was a Project. ...Project Insight, that's what it was.”

 Hill’s eyebrows shot up surprise, but she quickly masked the emotion and returned to the monitor. “Yesterday, you said you couldn't remember anything concerning the Facility.”

 “That's the only thing I remember. Oddly enough, the Project was only mentioned once, and the person who had mentioned it was never heard from again. I tend to not think about things that trigger my anxiety.”

 Hill nodded in understanding. “What is the difference between a rock and an egg?”

 Olivia sharply exhaled. “Well, good grief, there's a lot of differences. Um, for one, one can be set on fire, the other can start a fire.”

 “You wash up on a deserted island alone. Sitting next to you in the sand is a box. What is in that box?”

 “How big is the box?”

 “It's just...a box.”

 Olivia sighed. “Uh… If it's a box of any size, it would be...a working boat.”

 “Okay. One last question. Why are you here?” Hill pursed her lips and looked at Olivia.  

 The words were caught in the girl’s throat. She hadn't ever thought about why she wanted to be a agent. The thought just hadn't occurred to her. “...I was found in hostile conditions, and the people who helped me first were SHIELD. I feel that I could contribute; maybe pay back the favor.”

 Hill smiled. “You're all done, Miss Hale.”   

 Olivia let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. “That's great,” she stepped down, mumbled a ‘thank you’ to Hill. Olivia stepped out and grinned to the three Avengers.

 “Where to next?”

 “Physical training,” Natasha answered. 

 Olivia gulped. This was going to be the most difficult test.

* * *

 

 The four stepped into the massive gym. A few agents, along with their Supervising Officers stood afar off as they practiced their training.

 A small group of older teenagers stood next to some scientific equipment. A girl with wavy, brown hair practically bounced over, a pleasant grin on her face. Following a little ways behind was Anthony. 

 “Hi!” the girl greeted enthusiastically as she waved. “I'm Agent Kirk, but it's fine if you call me Lorissa, or even ‘Rissa. I got to Sci-Tech, so hopefully I see you there! You're Olivia?” 

 Olivia only nodded. 

 “Awesome! We were informed that you knew both combat and science, so we've set up a test for each! What would you like to do first?”

 Olivia hummed in thought. She turned to Steve, who only shrugged, though a smile was on his face. Olivia deduced that that meant she should choose what she liked. Olivia nodded.

 “The combat test, please,” this answer caught the three Avengers off guard and they looked oddly at the girl who stood in front of them. Anthony, who stood behind Lorissa, looked somewhat impressed. 

 Olivia shrugged. “Thought I'd get the grueling stuff done first,” she walked over to where a bunch of training mats were set out. The teenagers gathered around and watched.

 “Don't go easy on her,” Anthony commented as he crossed his arms over his chest and stood at a corner. Olivia narrowed her eyes at the indignant, blonde teenager before taking her fighting stance. She attempted to remember what Anthony taught her. He said her defense tactics were good, and, if she evenly distributed them between offensive attacks, she'd do well. Another thing Anthony had told her was to not get ‘fancy’. Simple attacks that landed well would go far.

 Only one agent was on the mats for now. Before Olivia could think, the agent’s foot was swiftly swinging towards her head. She yelped and backed away before dropping to the ground and attempting to kick out the agent’s legs. 

 The attack failed when the agent saw the attack coming. He kicked Olivia's leg away and attempted a volley kick in the direction of the girl’s face. Olivia held up her left arm to defend herself and braced that arm with her other arm. While the agent’s foot was against her arms, she dropped to sitting on her backside and kicked both of her legs out. They hit the agent’s midsection and he stumbled backwards.

 Olivia did a kip up before attacking by throwing several punches. The agent blocked some, but not all. He recoiled by grabbing Olivia’s arm and throwing her over his head and behind him. She landed on her knees with a thud before jumping up and running towards the agent. He braced himself for an attack, but did not brace himself for when Olivia dove to the floor and slid right between the agent’s legs. She then grabbed one of his ankles and pulled hard. The agent fell to the ground.

 “That's time!” one Supervising Officer standing with all the other agent's yelled as he held up both hands. He walked over to Olivia and held out a hand in order to offer his assistance. The girl was breathing heavily as sweat dripped down her face. 

 “I'll give your results to Director Fury,” the Officer said. 

 “Onto the next test, then!” Lorissa said as she smiled brightly. Olivia turned to Anthony who nodded curtly in approval, a small smile on his face.

* * *

 

 “Alright,” Lorissa began, “the object of this test is to deactivate the bomb,” she gestured to the small metal box standing in a cordoned off area. 

 “If you don't deactivate the bomb, then boom! the whole room is covered in green ink and smells like a dead skunk.”

 “That's all?” Olivia asked. It seemed like an easy task. 

 “If you fail, you have to clear up the room until Director Fury can see his reflection in it. I kinda wanted to fill the box with explosives, but the Director said that had a potentiality of killing possible agent,” Lorissa admitted. 

 “I would appreciate it if I didn't die, thanks,” Olivia said before looking behind her. Clint, Steve, and Natasha stood at the head of the room, right at the same place they stood while Olivia finished the combat test.

 The space before Olivia was only separated by a wobbly, makeshift railing. A metal cube stood on a similar looking table and various tools sat close by. 

_ Lorissa had said that the bomb would cover the whole room,  _ she thought. “Quite a large blast radius,” Olivia said out loud.

 Lorissa shrugged. “Most of the bombs we deal with have larger blast radii, even if they're as small as a little man purse. Now,” she clapped her hands together and turned to face Olivia. A stop watch was in one, and a remote in the other, “you have exactly five minutes. Begin.”

 Olivia casually walks up to the bomb. She took a breath. Worrying would only make her mess up.

 Her eye twitched violently - a nervous habit - as she treated the bomb like it was porcelain. She turned the box over and found the screwed on panel underneath. Olivia swiftly took off the panel, only to see a mess of the same colored wires jumbled up into the container. 

 Olivia stared at the container as if it had committed a felony of the highest order. Her breath caught in her throat and she struggled as the stress had gotten to her. 

 If she failed this test, she would have completely butchered her chance of becoming a student at Sci-Tech, and even an Agent!

_ No _ , Olivia thought, shaking her head,  _ I've diffused devices like these a thousand times before. This is easy. _

 “Time?” Olivia asked out loud. 

 “One minute and counting,” Lorissa answered. 

 Olivia sharply sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She needed to find the wire that was connected to the battery in order to shut off the bomb. But sorting through the wires could take forever, and she'd rather not want to spend all her time trying to clean the mess she had made.

 “Forty-five seconds!” Lorissa declared. Olivia nodded before plucking up the bomb from the table and hurtling herself under said table. Only a few seconds passed when a click could be heard from the bomb. Olivia winced before slowly opening her eyes and looking around. 

 Olivia looked oddly at the bomb before peeking out from under the table. She squinted at the bright light and looked around. 

 “Is this a test?” she asked, looking at Lorissa.

* * *

 

 After the Physical Training Test and the Bomb Test came the Medical, as well as the Background Check. 

 The Background Check produced the names of her mother and father - a one Walter and Adelaide Hale. Anything else about her family was kept from her.

 Olivia was told by Lorissa that she have done well. Olivia wasn't as sure, seeing as how she had actually jumped on a bomb. Even if it was just a color bomb. 

After the test, Olivia, Clint, Natasha, and Steve retrieved Frozen Yogurt for everyone at the Tower before heading home. 

 She could only hope for the best. 


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9_ **

  
  


 “Pick your weapon of choice, kid,” Clint said as a weapons rack lowered from the white gym ceiling. In the rack was an assortment of different styles and lengths of knives, as well as several pistols and rifles, and even a bow or two. 

 Olivia stared at the weapons rack, a blank look on her face. She really wasn't one who would resort to fight with a firearm, or even a weapon of any sort… “Do I really have to choose a weapon? Isn't fighting with my hands good enough?” 

 “Do you want to die?” Clint asked sarcastically. 

 “No,” Olivia muttered while she played with a piece of her messy, brown hair. She wondered if she could get it cut. She was more used to it being shoulder length, like in the Facility. 

 “Then choose a weapon.”

 It had been five days ever since Olivia had participated in the Analytical Survey, and so far, there was no news. It was early January, and it had been snowing out. Clint chose to not go out into the freezing cold mush, so he decided to do this instead.

 What was strange about today was that Natasha had offered to help with a lot of things that she normally didn't even bother looking at, like sorting circuit board parts for Tony, who had proceeded to do so for five minutes, and then handed the job to Olivia. In fact, the people living at the Avengers Tower were a lot more...willing to help with things Olivia was working on. The girl couldn't help but notice this odd behavior. She hadn't bothered to ask, but she couldn't help but feel some sort of...worry. 

 Steve and Natasha were gone today. They said something about needing to pick up a few groceries, which was normally Pepper’s job, before they headed out. Overall, the day was turning just the slightest bit odd. 

 Olivia and Clint were now in the gym, readying themselves for another training session. 

 Olivia hummed in thought before looked over the massive array of weapons. She didn't want a gun, but Clint already had a bow… She spied a crossbow, and it immediately caught her attention.

 “What about this one?” Olivia asked, picking up the crossbow and pointing it at Clint. The crossbow was pitch black and the arrows that were held on the bottom were bright blue with silver tips and fletchings. A scope was fixed at the top. 

 “Try cocking it,” he said, sounding a little impressed. 

 She nodded and searched for the string that pulled back the arrow that was already loaded inside. It was nowhere to be seen. 

 “Where…?” 

 “At the side, kid,” Clint sounded somewhat amused. “This isn't Lord of the Rings. You cock the crossbow by pulling back on the lever.”

 “Right. I knew that,” she stated, acting like she simply couldn't locate the loading mechanism. She tried to pull the lever, but struggled. 

 “Your new name is Noodle Arms,” Clint said, pointing to Olivia. He arched an eyebrow and helped load the crossbow. “I thought you were told to do push-ups.” 

 “Well, I didn't do them,” she replied, sticking out her tongue and pouting. Clint handed over the crossbow.

 “Now, it's always gonna be on safety, so you don't ‘accidentally’ maim somebody,” he said before reaching to a nearby counter and producing a rectangular cloth pouch. He handed them to Olivia, saying, “You'll need those.” 

 “I actually have glasses now?” 

 He only nodded.

 “Sweet!” she exclaimed and traded the crossbow for the glasses. She slipped them out of the case, seeing they were thickly rims and skinnier frames, like the glasses Clint used when he was in uniform. She slipped them on and looked around.

 “Stark said they're made of an extra-durable glass. Only reason why it took him so long was because he had the attention span of a freakin’ five-year-old. Stark also said that if you wanted to, you could visit him in the lab and see if you could get a scope mode.”

 She still continued to act like a kid in a candy store with her new ability to see. “Great. Probably don't want contacts; too easy to lose. But, now that I can see, back to the crossbow?” 

 Clint silently handed it over. 

 “With a crossbow, you're doing more of a sniper’s job. Nobody uses a crossbow for close combat. If you are in fact, assuming the position of a sniper, then you’ll need a stand. We're not worrying about that now, though. 

 “You're gonna have a very light trigger on this crossbow, so make sure you have everything set up before you even put your finger on the trigger,” Clint lectured before hitting a few buttons on a nearby panel. A few targets sprang up from the floor.

 “Today is the basics, and maybe a little shooting. Before you know it, we’ll have moving targets and you moving as the targets are moving as well. The safety is next to your thumb, and you just press it. You can do that, and then aim for a target before letting it loose.” 

 Olivia gulped and moved her hair from her face. Clint instructed her in how to hold the crossbow before letting her loose an arrow. After Clint took a tentative step backwards, she aimed for a target. 

 “Keep both eyes open,” Clint said. 

 She curtly nodded before sucking in a breath. She tapped the trigger and the arrow flew as the crossbow string let out a  _ thwack _ . The arrow landed into the target, though it was on the outermost ring. Olivia jumped back before letting out a yelp. 

 “Good grief. I barely touched the trigger.” 

 “Impressive. You like it?” 

 “It takes a little to get used to, but,” she looked over the crossbow, “yeah!” 

 “You can keep it then,” Clint nodded. 

 Olivia gaped. “Really?!”

 Clint nodded again. 

 “Thanks!” The girl exclaimed, smiling brightly. 

 “You have a quiver, too,” he gestured to the multiple quivers on the weapons rack, “You kinda need arrows. Always keep the arrow supply on your weapon stocked. I'll show you how it folds up, but for now, we’ll continue with the training session.”

* * *

 

 “You really sure you want to do this, Steve?” Natasha asked, surprised that the man would even consider adoption. She wondered how long he had considered it. Natasha had often seen Steve with the occasional book on adoption whenever Olivia was too busy to notice. 

 The two Avengers were on the road, traveling to a nearby adoption agency. 

 “I'm sure, Nat.” Steve replied, keeping his eyes on the road. 

 “Are you sure you're sure? Because she's a genius, and you're…” Natasha trailed off, not knowing what to say. 

 “I'm what? Not a genius? You think Tony should consider adopting Olivia?” 

 “No, not at all.” Natasha’s brow furrowed. “She may not like having to deal with you being gone for long periods of time.”

 “That's why she applied for the Academy. That way, she has at least something to do. Tony goes on trips all the time, Natasha. At least Olivia won't have to deal with the press following her everywhere.” 

 “I think she'd enjoy you being a dad. And plus, you have something to constantly worry about now,” Natasha smirked. 

Steve glanced at Natasha from the side of his eye as he arched a brow. “You think so?” 

 “Yeah,” she mused. “You were the one to talk her out of the Facility. She obviously trusts you the most. And even if she's been here for five months, I can tell she's not as comfortable around others as she is with you. You'll make a great dad.” 

 “Well, I appreciate the encouragement, I guess,” Steve nodded, though he looked deep in thought. “I don't know if I'm ready for this… I don't know the first thing about raising a thirteen-year-old.”

 “I mean, jeez, that social worker practically went over everything with a fine-toothed comb. That home study thing proved that you were more than eligible for becoming a dad!” 

 Steve looked oddly at Natasha. “What's up with the sudden encouragement?” 

 “What, I can't be supportive of your decision to not be altogether lonely?”

 Steve responded with silence. “...I just don't know how Olivia will react. Fury said that her parents went missing when she was five. They would be officially considered KIA.”

 “And if you didn't do this, she would be shipped off to a girl’s home.” Natasha said, “Obviously, she has no more family left, or they would have told us who they are by now. You're doing something right, Steve.” 

 Steve pulled the car into the parking lot before getting out. “I guess so,” Hill, as well as Agent Weaver had suggested that Olivia would do better if she had her own family. Who was he to take take away? And for all Steve knew, the adoption could only be for a small while. Steve had planned to at least search for any of Olivia’s family. He knew who the family was now, and Fury had even mentioned a mission, though it was more for his own benefit. For some, strange reason, it seemed that Fury had a greater reason to let the girl stay. 

 Steve hesitantly sighed as he held Olivia’s information. The file had grown thicker, especially when the little, basic information on her parents was added. 

 “So… We’re celebrating her birthday tonight. You wanna give the news that she's adopted then?” Natasha asked, holding her arms at her sides. 

 “...Yeah,” Steve nodded and smiled. It would be nice to be just a little less lonely.

* * *

 

 Olivia stirred on the couch. She had called asleep after watching a few minutes of Sherlock. The girl was half asleep as she fidgeted on the couch and mumbled, “The bunnies and llamas have taken Director Fury to the cotton-candy castle in the clouds,” before dozing off again.

 “KID!!!” Clint jumped out in front of Olivia. The girl let out a scream from the jump-scare. She fell off the couch and landed on the floor. Clint laughed and waved his phone in the air above his head. “Now everybody who follows ‘the-archer-assassin’ on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram knows you dream about ‘bunnies and llamas taking Director Fury to the cotton-candy castle in the clouds’ with footage to prove it!”

 “Clint!” Olivia screamed, glaring at the smirking assassin. A bright flash filled her vision. Olivia shielded her eyes. After her vision cleared, Olivia glared at Pepper. 

 “What the big idea!?” she blurted, still covering her eyes.

 “That was Tony,” Pepper defended herself as she pointed to the billionaire. He had the camera in his hands and attempted to refrain himself from breaking out into a fit of laughter. 

 “Why'd you guys wake me up? I was perfectly fine where I was sitting,” Olivia whined as she picked herself off the floor. She saw all of the Avengers, as well as Pepper, surrounding her. The girl furrowed her brow. “What's going on here?”

 Natasha stood at Olivia’s side. She held a fancy, cloth napkin in one hand. “You'll need to wear this, Liv,” Natasha said as she moved behind Olivia and tied the mapping over Olivia’s eyes.

 “Can I ask why?” Olivia blurted, reaching up to pull away the blindfold. Natasha swatted away the girl’s hands. “Is this another one of those stupid trust exercises?”

 “Nope,” Clint said. 

 “Okay… Who’s walking me to wherever I'm going?” Olivia asked, trying to find something to lean on. She felt vulnerable now that her seeing was temporarily disabled.

 “That'd be me, Liv,” Steve's voice could be heard as he set a hand on the girl’s shoulder. His tone suggested some sort of nervousness. It sounded a little...tense and stressed. Olivia found it odd, but decided to brush it off. 

 “Good. And if Clint personally paid you to ram me into a window or a wall, he gets a kick in the shins,” she said, hesitantly holding one of Steve’s wrists with both hands.

 “I can't promise anything,” Steve chuckled, then directed the girl out of the room. Olivia heard the click of a camera shutter. 

 “Cut it out, Tony,” Olivia ordered. Tony furrowed his brow, wondering how she could ever know with a blindfold on. Steve directed the girl to the elevator and punched the button for the dining room area. Olivia felt the familiar, odd feeling of traveling in the elevator.

 “Thanks for not making me not take the stairs,” Olivia smiled, still feeling clueless as to where exactly she was walking to. 

 “No problem.”

 The elevator doors opened with a ding.

 “Just walk forward three steps,” Steve advised. Olivia did so somewhat hesitantly. 

 “You can take off the blindfold,” Pepper surprised Olivia, making her jump. 

 “How'd you get down here so fast?”

 “You know the Tower has things called stairs, Olivia?” Tony teased nonchalantly. Olivia rolled her eyes and took off the blindfold. She was slightly blinded when the light flooded in. Once her vision cleared, she gasped. 

 The dining area was decorated with party streamers and even the littlest of things were decorated with pleasant, dark blue decorations. A little pile of presents sat on the table next to a cake that was decorated with all of sorts of scientific equations.

 Olivia stood amongst it all, her mouth hanging open. “...This isn't for me… Is it?”

 “Today was your day of birth, or so I have been told, little Midgardian,” Thor cheesily grinned.

 “We'd thought we'd surprise you,” Natasha smiled as well. 

 “...No way!” Olivia squealed squealed. “Nobody has bothered to remember my birthday in forever! You guys actually bothered to remember,” she turned to Steve and have a smile. “Did you tell them to do this?”

 Steve smirked and shrugged. “I may, or may not have.”

 After Olivia had thanked and hugged the group (while almost getting crushed in a bear hug from Thor, she insisted on opening presents first, saying that the best needed to be first. The presents consisted of fun things, including several large and thick books, a pretty floral dress or two, as well as a complicated circuit board kit.

 “Who wants cake?” Pepper asked while Olivia messed with the kit and the others did their own things.

 “Me!” Clint and Olivia said unison. The girl jumped from her chair and towards where Pepper stood. Clint was faster when he took an alternate route and cut off Olivia. 

  “Ah, ah, ah!” Pepper held away the whole cake from Clint. “The birthday girl still has to blow out the candles, and we still haven't sung Happy Birthday,” Pepper reasoned and Clint pouted like a five-year-old.

 “No singing.  Waiting for cake is illogical,” Olivia reasoned, crossing her arms over her chest.

 “I concur,” Clint said, mimicking Olivia. But Pepper proceeded, and the rest sang, though Tony turned the whole ordeal up to eleven when he began singing opera. Olivia only rolled her eyes when Clint joined as well.

 It was soon time to blow out the candles. She couldn't forget to make a wish, so she did so.  _ I wish,  _ she began to think about what she would wish for, then decided,  _ that I'd be able to move on from whatever happened to me before I was found in the Facility and that I would never forget about the people that helped me.  _

 She sucked in a deep breath and readied to blow out the candles before licking her fingers and extinguishing the two candles that formed the number ‘14’ with her fingers.

 “That's cheating!” Tony cried out. “I want those candles lit again and BLOWN out.”

 “Who wants spit all over their cake?” Olivia joked as she looked at the billionaire. 

 “...She does have a point,” Banner peacefully agreed. Tony opened his mouth in order to object. He then closed it, a confused and dumbfounded expression written all over his face. The other’s expressions mirrored Tony’s.

  Everyone was given a slice of cake, as well as ice cream. Clint had retrieved his ice cream and proceeded to cover the whole top of his cake with the whipped cream. Thor did the same, except he completely covered his plate in the cream. Pepper only watched with a gaping mouth while Olivia broke down into a fit of giggles.

 “Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about this,” Natasha reached under the kitchen cabinet and placed a larger, deep blue box on the counter. It had a cheesy bow placed on top. 

 “What's this?” Olivia eyed the present with curiosity. 

 “Only way to find out,” Tony said, shrugging. He had an odd smirk as he crammed a piece of cake into his mouth. Olivia got up from her seat and pulled the box off the counter. She plopped down into her seat and pulled the box on top of her lap. Olivia then ripped open the paper and gasped. 

 “I got...a box! Oh my gosh! It's the best! I don't think I could ever ask for anything more!”

 “Open the gift, smarty pants,” Steve jokingly retorted. 

 “Okay, okay,” Olivia seceded, opening the box. Inside was a box that looked about the size a jewelry store would use. 

 Olivia’s confusion only grew more. She plucked up the box and slowly opened it. She only caught a glimpse of the inside, which had a wallet that was embossed with an all too familiar eagle emblem. She dropped the box and let out a very loud ‘NO!’. She quickly picked up the box and threw the lid off.

 “There is no way!!!” she screamed, seeing the picture of her on the card. Clint smiled as he recorded the scene. Everyone just watched with curiosity. “...Wait, so does this mean?”she dug through the box, finally finding a letter on top.

 “So what does your official letter from Hogwarts say?” Tony asked as Olivia ripped the top of the cream envelope that was sealed with the SHIELD emblem. Olivia let out a shrill squeal before reaching to hug the person standing beside her, who coincidentally, was Steve. The super soldier looked surprised, but eventually hugged back. 

 “Did you make it, or not?” Tony impatiently asked, teasingly rolling his eyes.

 “Well, of course I made it! But I still have something else in the gift!” Olivia exclaimed and quickly pulled out of the hug. She dug out the remaining portion of the gift. It was a three piece clothing set that comprised of deep blue, leather pants with red and white accents. A matching, deep blue shirt was also included that had a wing symbol on the right and a silver star on the left. On the back of the shirt hung a hood with more red and white accents. The final piece of clothing was a slate grey vest that zipped up in the middle and had red buckles and white straps. 

 “I like the red, white, and blue,” Olivia nodded in approval, still looking over the suit. 

 “Call it a source of inspiration,” Tony shrugged.

 “So wait,” Olivia began, the realization just hitting her, “you mean to tell me that this makes me an actual SHIELD agent?!”

 Steve nodded and hummed in agreement. Everyone wore a small look of pride, except Pepper. 

 Olivia was reduced to silence as she stared at the suit. “I'm a SHIELD agent?” She quietly whispered to herself. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder. 

 “You okay, Liv?” 

 “Yeah. Just...I didn't think I wasn't going to get in. This is kind of...surreal,” she answered, staring dazedly at the suit.

 “Can I ask why I wasn't alerted about this?” Pepper interjected. 

 “Classified,” Clint and Natasha said in unison. Olivia quickly grabbed her suit and raced out of the room, giving the excuse of ‘I have to go try this on’.

 It took her quite a while to get into the suit because of the countless buckles on her vest, but she sooner or later got into it. Olivia looked herself over in the mirror. The suit fit perfectly. She fit the hood over her head and grinned. The hood was a nice touch. That was probably added on by Clint. She quickly dashed out of the room and towards the dining room. 

 “So, how do I look?” Olivia asked as she smiled cheesily. Tony looked impressed. 

 “The hood comes off if it gets annoying, too,” he said, still looking over to make sure the suit didn't have any noticeable flaws.

 “Are you kidding? It's too cool to get rid of!” Olivia said, running her fingers over the edge of the hood. 

 “Told you she'd like it,” Clint elbowed Tony in the ribs. “It was kind of a last minute adjustment. Thought it'd make it a little easier for sniping.”

 Steve looked a little shocked. “You wanted to become a sniper?” 

 Olivia shrugged. “Yeah. Hand to hand combat is nice and all, but I'd prefer an...eye in the sky approach. ...I hope that's not a problem. Clint let me have a crossbow to practice with.” 

 Steve only nodded, looking somewhat impressed. Perhaps he didn't ever think that Olivia would take a weapons approach to things. 

 “So, you like it, kid?” Tony asked. 

 “It's great!” Olivia smiled brightly. “Thank you very much for all the presents. And the cake. And the birthday in general,” she said as she gathered up the things. “I guess I have school tomorrow, so…” she gave a thumbs up and smiled. “See you guys tomorrow.”

* * *

 

 Olivia hummed as she set a few things in her satchel.  

 “Hey, Jarvis? Can you set an alarm for 5:30?” she asked, looking over the two dresses she had. She decided on the cream with pink flowers and pulled out a pair of sparkly flats.  

 “Thank you, Miss Olivia. The alarm is set,” Jarvis informed. 

 A knock sounded on the door. 

 “Yeah?” Olivia said, looking over everything she had set out. Steve walked in, holding his arms behind his back. 

 “You excited?” he asked. 

 “Yeah! I'm not so…bored anymore. Not that anything around here is boring, it's just that I wanted something else to do.” 

 Steve nodded in understanding. 

 “So, uh, I didn't actually plan on wanting to become a sniper. I didn't even know what made me choose that. Clint said I needed more than one choice for keeping myself safe. Guns weren't my thing, so…” 

 “I don't have a problem with it. It's fine with me.”

  Olivia nodded. “Oh, okay. Because you just seemed a little...tense.” 

 Steve just shrugged. “...You had a few presents. I got you something, and I forgot about it, so…” he brought his hands out and held out a thin looking present that was wrapped in the same paper that the SHIELD things were wrapped in. 

 “Cool,” Olivia looked at the present oddly. She willingly accepted it and tore the top open. She took a yellow, document envelope and pulled it out of the paper. Olivia looked oddly at the envelope before opening it out and retrieved a lone document inside. She scanned the document and only furrowed her brow in confusion. 

 “This...is a certificate of adoption. It has my name on it. I don't understand,” Olivia gulped and sighed. 

 “You're adopted, Olivia. You have a family,” Steve smiled. 

 “What?” she asked, her voice a thin whisper. She had to be hallucinating. It was just a dream, that's all. Steve Rogers - CAPTAIN AMERICA - couldn't have POSSIBLY adopted a girl with mental and health issues. It just wasn't likely. 

 Steve awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled. “I adopted you.” 

 Olivia inhaled sharply. It was like no matter how hard she breathed, she just couldn't get enough air. She gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. Tears blinded her vision. She felt someone hug her and assumed it was Steve. Olivia willingly accepted the hug, burying her face into his shoulder. 

 “...Is that okay?” Steve asked.  

 “It's great!” Olivia assured as she sniffled. She wiped her eyes and smiled. “It's just- I can't believe it! Why would you ever want to adopt me?”

 “You deserve a family, Liv. Now you have one,” Steve said, still embracing Olivia. 

 Did that mean that her mother and father had disappeared, or even worse…? Olivia couldn't remember anything about or anything that had happened to her parents. The only way she knew her parents was by the background check at SHIELD. She never knew about her family, or what it was like to have a family. 

 Is this what it felt like? To have an actual family? That feeling of knowing that she was actually loved made her more happy than she could bare. 

 Now she actually had a family. 


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10_ **

 

Olivia woke up to the calming music piece of  _ Fur Elise.  _ She stirred in the bed and eventually shimmied out. The events of yesterday had just caught up to her. Olivia smiled. she was officially had a family. She had to admit, that would be different to get used to. 

 “Begging your pardon, Miss Olivia, but it is time to wake up,” Jarvis announced. 

 “Thanks, Jar,” Olivia muttered sleepily. She trotted over to the closet, retrieved a set of running clothing and quickly changed into them. 

 Olivia quickly appeared at the entrance of the Tower in running sweats, a long sleeved shirt, and a running jacket. In her hands was the bike.  

 “Didn't think you wanted to come along today,” Steve - her father - said as he jogged out of the building. The girl followed on her bike. 

 “Are you kidding?” Olivia smiled. “It's, like, one of my first moments with you as my dad. ...Which,” she shrugged awkwardly, “I was going to ask about that. Do you want - would you like - um… Is it okay if I call you ‘Dad’?” 

 “Only if you're okay with it,” Steve answered. He continued at a pace where he could easily jog and talk at the same time. 

 This time was often spent for Steve and Olivia to catch up and talk a little. She found that she could always talk to him. 

 Olivia nodded, noticing Steve's somewhat reticent behavior. 

 “Steve - Dad. You don't have to worry about taking care of me. I may be a genius… THE genius, even, but I mean, you're LEGALLY my dad, now. I'm obliged to follow you, and I'm going to do it whether or not I'm given a choice. Come on, you've knocked out Hitler at least two hundred times.”

 Steve laughed. “You know about that, hunh?” 

 “‘Course I do. You're my dad now, it's practically a requirement,” Olivia smirked. “At the Academy, I'll have a course about SHIELD history. It has a textbook and everything. People say the teacher is boring. It's gonna be awesome.” 

 “Oh really?” Steve asked, somewhat impressed by how his newly adopted daughter was so learned about the Academy when she hadn't even been to it yet. 

 Olivia nodded and hummed in agreement. “There's also Holotable Engineering, and Neurobiology, and Chemical Kinetics. To name just a few. I'm really excited. There are dorms here, but since I have you guys and the Academy’s not far away, I can just travel back and forth.” 

 “You think you're going to like it there?” 

 Olivia looked thoughtful before she nodded. “Yeah. It'll definitely be something to get used to since I haven't been to school in… Five years? Yeah, five years. It'll be a different experience.” 

 “You'll do great. You said it yourself. THE Genius.” 

 “Why thank you, Dad,” Olivia smiled. “It's been awhile ever since I had a member of my actual family give me encouragement.” 

 “Well, you do have the rest of the Avengers, and they're like a family.”

 “That's true,” she admitted. A look of realization dawned on her. “Does that mean that Clint is technically my UNCLE?” 

 Steve only laughed. 

 “Gosh, I don't want to think about that. I've seen a lot of weird things in my life and that's one of them,” Olivia laughed and concentrated on her biking. 

 A few minutes of silence passed until Steve broke down in a fit of chuckles. 

 “You always overthink the simple things,” he said in between chuckles. She only shrugged.

 “Comes with the occupation, I guess.”

* * *

 

 Olivia sat at the counter, all ready to go. She looked at her SHIELD badge, seeing that Agent Rogers, Jade, Olivia was at the top. She guessed that in her excitement over opening her present, she didn't spot the change in her name in the corner. 

 She shrugged, sticking her badge into her satchel and slinging it over her shoulder. 

 “Come on, guys! You're gonna make me late for school! Do you know how terrible that looks?!” Olivia yelled as she rested on the counter. Pepper had already gone to work today, so the only people in the kitchen, oddly enough, was her and Bruce. Bruce nonchalantly sat at the dining room table, looking over a few documents. 

 Steve appeared in normal clothing with Natasha and Clint closely behind him. Olivia jumped out of the seat. 

 “Yes! Let's go! Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!” the girl said as she bounded towards the elevator. 

 “Alright, kid!” Clint laughed at the girl’s enthusiasm. “Cap’s dropping you off day, since he's your dad and all, now. Nat and I have mission to get to, so we won't be able to hear all of your amazing first day stories.” 

 “Don't forget your friends are coming over today,” Natasha added. “Have a good day at school, and play nice with the other kids. Unless one of the other kids wanna fight, then you have to kick the other kid’s butt.” 

 “Good grief, you guys might as well be my family with the way you're treating me. And I don't want to kick anyone’s butt! This isn't Communications!” Olivia blurted, looking at Natasha oddly. The woman only smirked. 

 Clint threw up his hands in surrender. “That's it! She's become a stick-in-the-mud!” 

 “I'll have you know that I've always been a stick-in-the-mud!” Olivia blurted. 

 “Like father, like daughter,” Natasha smirked.

 “Now what's that supposed to mean?” Steve countered, setting his hands on his hips. 

 “It means you're going to be late if you don't get going,” Clint pushed Olivia into the elevator after it opened up. He did the same to Steve and gave a goofy grin.

* * *

 

 Steve quickly dropped off Olivia at the Quinjet garage. He gave a small speech about making sure to have fun, but not to much fun, and if it came down to the line and she was clueless about how to handle a situation, to just remember ‘What Would Captain America Do.’ The funny thing was that Steve was absolutely serious during all of this. 

 “Alright, I get it,” she said, wondering if that speech would become a part of her daily life.

 “Maybe it's better if I walked you in,” Steve considered.  

 “No, Dad. It's fine. I'm a scientist. Everything is fine when you're a scientist. Don't worry about me,” she assured, playfully rolling her eyes. 

 “Okay, Olivia, but just in case-”

 “Dad, I'm leaving! I'll be perfectly fine! If anything happens, Agent Weaver will make sure I walk through unscathed. Jeez, this isn't a test on the Laws of Thermodynamics,” she said, gathering her things and leaving. She looked behind her and cheesily smiled. Steve gave a cheesy smile too before giving a thumbs up. Olivia gave a thumbs up as well. 

 She pulled out a list from her satchel. The list told of where her classes were and where she needed to be. It looked like she had Holotable Engineering first. 

 “Olivia Rogers?” Lorissa - the girl from the Analytical Survey - surprised Olivia. The younger of the two spun around and took a defensive stance. 

 “Whoa, calm down!” Lorissa laughed. “I heard you got in yesterday! And that you were just adopted! How does it feel to be Captain America’s daughter?” 

 “It's not that much different, actually,” Olivia shrugged, holding the strap of her satchel tightly. This girl was...hyper, to say the least. 

 “Huh,” Lorissa shrugged. “So, I've already been here as a cadet for two years. You're in… Holotable Engineering too, so we have the same first class of the morning! I'll show you around; make sure you don't get lost, y’know? Because that's no fun, and - I'm rambling, aren't I?” 

 Olivia silently shrugged. “I don't think the teacher would appreciate me being late.” 

 “Oh!” Lorissa blurted, smiling all the while. “That's true! Follow me!” 

 The Academy was certainly a different experience. There was no such thing as ‘P. E.’ which was great. Every Cadet either wore sweaters and ties, or suits. Lunch consisted of a nice bowl of chicken soup in the gigantic cafe that Sci-Tech had. 

 To her surprise, Olivia had a easy day of school for joining in at the middle of the year. She was loaded with homework (of which she willingly accepted, believing that the work would occupy her time, especially since the Avengers had to often solve Alerts and Incidents, and the like).

 All around the campus, Olivia had received odd looks from different cadets. Lorissa had explained this was because of her literally being the youngest cadet to ever attend Sci-Tech. 

 Lorissa had been helpful, albeit very hyper all the while. It turned out she was actually a twenty-one-year-old who had gained her first PhD in a special, unpronounceable type of mechanics. During school time, Lorissa invested her full attention, which somewhat surprised Olivia, seeing as how the woman was practically bouncing around everywhere she went. 

 But Lorissa was helpful nonetheless. Olivia had been greatly overwhelmed by everything. She was surprised her anxiety hadn't taken over. But, then again, her anxiety seemed to have subsided for a while now. 

 Time had passed quickly, and Olivia found that her final class for the day was the History of SHIELD class with Professor Vaughn. 

 “The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, better known by its acronym S.H.I.E.L.D., is known as a United States extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency, tasked with maintaining global security…” Professor Vaughn rambled monotonously on. He was an older man with ash grey hair and wiry eyebrows that his dark brown eyes hid behind. Vaughn wore a sweater vest as well as a collared shirt underneath and a tie. 

 Olivia watched as students began to nod off. She understood it had been a long day, but this was pathetic! Why didn't people care about how SHIELD was founded? It was a fascinating topic. A lengthy topic, but fascinating all the while. 

 The girl raised her hand in order to ask a question. She waited patiently, for Vaughn hadn't realized she was asking a question. He must not have been used to questions. Olivia loudly cleared her throat. Vaughn jerked up to look at her.

 Indeed, he looked surprised that a student had bothered to ask a question. 

 “Yes, Miss Rogers?”  

 “That's me,” Olivia smiled, setting her hand back into her lap. “I seem to be the only cadet who is really invested in this class, so I was wondering if we could actually skip to learning about Peggy Carter. She seems to be a revolutionary person in the history of SHIELD.”

 Vaughn looked stunned. “I'm certain we can, Miss Rogers.”  

 “Thank you, I very much appreciate it,” Olivia said, finding a new piece of paper for her to take notes on. She knew she would like this class.

* * *

 

 Steve picked up his daughter at the end of school and drove her back to the Tower while quizzing her about what had happened for the day. 

 Olivia decided to spend the day in the lab, finalizing her IDA. She had her own little table in the Tower’s lab that had all the things she needed in order to make different things. It had taken her a while to talk Tony into giving her a space, but she eventually got one. 

 At the time, Tony was working on his cars, meaning Olivia was in the lab alone. 

 “Guess who?” a familiar, fun-filled British accent asked as two hands covered Olivia’s eyes.  

 “Mercy!” Olivia smiled and spun around in her chair. Kai and Mercy stood behind her. Kai held a small briefcase in his hands. 

 “First of all,” Kai began as he held away the briefcase, “Congratulations! I was praying for you. Second of all, I finally finished the circuit board.”

 “Great!” Olivia received the briefcase and smiled brightly. “‘Pray’? You're religious?”

 “He's a Christian,” Mercy jerked her thumb over to Kai. 

 Olivia nodded in understanding. “Dad sometimes talks about that. I guess it's relieving to know that there's at least someone who cares about you. I don't know why he'd concern himself with someone like me…”

“God does more than just care for you, Olivia,” Kai said, a reassuring smile lighting up his features. 

 The girl shrugged and returned to her work. “Now, this should work. You all are brilliant like that,” she secured the circuit board into the small, bug-looking device. Mercy and Kai watched as they looked over Olivia’s shoulder.  

 “Just what does this do?” Mercy asked.

 “It's a robotic spy bug...of sorts,” Olivia spoke somewhat slowly as she concentrated on screwing the bug shut. 

 “When I get it working, I'll be able to make it do a multitude of things. It has...miniature grappling hooks with high-power auctioning grip feet, listening equipment, a built-in camera, wireless connectivity that can be used so that I can communicate with it (thanks to Mercy), claws for climbing, as well as wings for flying. Once I can connect with it, anything that it picks up can be searched on the web and given to me.”

 Mercy and Kai were reduced to silence.

 “You thought about this yourself?” Kai asked. 

 “Yeah!” Olivia smiled like a kid in a candy store. “Also…” she retrieved a large piece of metal from a case on the table, “I actually am prepared for the Science Fair.” 

 “What's up, Nerd Herd?” Tony asked as he walked into the lab, a box of broken parts in his hands. 

 “Tony!” Olivia backed up and slid the gauntlet over her hand. “Throw one of those parts at me!” she punched the button near her thumb and a red, white, and blue shield materialized. 

 “Looks like you've been busy,” Tony looked oddly at the shield. Kai and Mercy gaped. 

 “Yep! I just got it finished this morning. Still trying to work out the bugs; it glitches sometimes.” 

 Without a word, Tony tossed the broken part to Olivia. The girl held up her shield and the part bounced off. 

 “It works!” Tony gaped, acting like a kid in a candy store. “Now, what next?” 

 “Repulsor Ray?” Olivia suggested as she shrugged. 

 Tony snapped his fingers at Olivia. “I like how you think, kid,” he summoned an Iron Man gauntlet to encase around his arm and immediately fired a blast towards the shield. The blast dissolved into the shield, but then sent the girl flying back. She crashed into a bookshelf. 

 “...Write that down!” Olivia blurted as she tried to get up from the mess that she was found in. She stumbled, and fell over before passing out.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11** _

A couple days later, Olivia and Steve could be seen running their usual route. They exchanged a few words, but ultimately remained silent as they continued on their run.

The two decided to take a walk since Olivia had no school for the day. She let out a sigh and crossed her arms over the thin, running jacket she wore. A cold, January breeze blew through the ever-busy streets and sidewalks of New York City. She regretted not bringing something a little heavier. It was cold, but it wasn't to be compared to the cold in the Facility. 

"I heard about your little escapade with an experiment," Steve spoke up.

"You did?" Olivia feigned surprise. She awkwardly smiled. Steve had decided to drop Olivia off at home before he went to deliver some files to Agent Hill. Thus, he was completely clueless that Olivia had completely crashed the lab. That is, Olivia thought he was absolutely clueless that she had crashed the lab.

"You're not that good at pretending that things don't happen," Steve arched an eyebrow as he looked suspiciously at his daughter.

"I am? Is that a compliment? I feel that that's a compliment. I'm going to take that as a compliment," Olivia smiled cheesily.

"Care to elaborate, Olivia?"

Olivia sighed. "Fine. In order to get into the Science Fair for SHIELD, you have to have an experiment. So I made a shield like yours, except for the fact that it's made of pure energy and I wanted to see if it could work so I kinda, sorta, maybe asked Tony if he could fire one of those repulsive rays. I may, or may not have landed in a pile of broken bookshelves."

Steve blinked a few times before speaking. "You WHAT?"

"I don't think I really need to explain it again," the awkward smile returned on Olivia's face. "I mean, at least I didn't try something that could kill myself."

Steve furrowed his brow and looked at Olivia oddly. He began to speak up before a loud crash sounded from a nearby alley. Olivia furrowed her brow before taking the opportunity to run away from the current problem. She ducked into the alley and Steve quickly followed.

"Liv!" Steve called.

Olivia found two male teenagers laughing at something in a shadowed corner.

"Look at the mutt," one taunted. Olivia narrowed her eyes at the teenagers before storming up to them. She jabbed her hand into the side of one of the teenager's necks.

The teenager cried out in pain before spinning around on his heels to face her. He swung a fist - one of which Olivia successfully grabbed.

"Shame on you!" the girl cried out, death-gripping the teenager's fist, "You think that it's acceptable to just...bully something that can't fight back?! Well, you're wrong! It may just be a little puppy, but it deserves at least a small ounce of respect!"

The other teenager swung his fist to attack Olivia. With her free fist, Olivia punched the already attacking teenager right in the nose. He flinched away, holding his possibly-broken nose in his hands.

"You're a freak!" one teenager blurted.

"It's called being a genius. Do your research," Olivia said, narrowing her eyes before kicking the teenager in the shins. The both of them ran off, the one limping a small bit.

Steve walked up from behind. "Didn't know you had that in you."

"Yeah, well, I've been in the same place before," Olivia knelt in a puddle of muddy slush. An Australian Shepherd puppy sat in the corner, a look of pure fear in its eyes. It was skinny and suffering from malnutrition. It had a white coat that was speckled with black spots, as well as a burnt umber color of fur on its muzzle and larger, black spots covering all over its head.

"Hey! Everything is going to be just fine," Olivia assured as she held out her hands. The Aussie backed away and let out a whimper of pain. Olivia hummed in thought before taking off her jacket and holding it out to the puppy. It inquisitively sniffed the jacket before limping out.

"A dog?" Steve arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Olivia smiled widely before hoisting the puppy into her arms. She hugged it tightly, making sure it was covered with the jacket.

"You know, Tony's not going to let that into the Tower," Steve nodded, pointing to the puppy.

"So I guess Patriot and I will be sitting out in the cold," Olivia assured, still holding the puppy. She looked at the puppy, who only shivered wildly.

"You named it Patriot?" Steve looked at Olivia oddly. "You NAMED it?"

"Yep. You saved me and insisted I be kept in safe hands. Why can't I do the same?"

"There are several reasons. One; it probably has rabies."

"Nope," Olivia responded, smiling all the while, "You see, in order for the dog to have rabies, it would have needed to be bitten, but she's not. So she's perfectly fine, rabies wise. I can ask Bruce if there's anything else that's wrong, but, I don't see anything!"

"You're very enthusiastic about this," Steve hummed in interest.

"Come on, Dad! She was obviously abandoned; she has no home! I'll nurse her back to health, and see if I can get her a home!"

"Knowing you, it'll be a home at the Tower."

"That's what you did!" she stopped to poke out her bottom lip in a pitiful gesture. The dog did the same, just to prove the point. "Please? Pretty please with whipped cream, and red, white, and blue sprinkles, as well as the sense of equality and freedom on top?"

"'The sense of equality and freedom'?" Steve narrowed his eyes in an effort to think, "...Fine."

"Yay!" Olivia squealed out the word. "Come on, Patriot. I'm freezing, and I'm pretty sure you are too."

* * *

After getting Patriot from the vet and discovering that she had a fever, headache, as well as several weeks without food, and a broken leg, she was fine.

Olivia was glad that she intervened when she did. What she wasn't glad for was the field trip she would experience when trying to give Patriot her various medicines.

Olivia looked over the X-rays and hummed in thought.

"So let me get this straight," Clint, who had returned from his and Natasha's mission that morning, asked. He watched as Olivia cleaned the puppy in a sink in the lab, "You took on TWO teenagers, proceeded to kick their butts, and saved a dog in the process?"

"You can ask Dad, actually," Olivia smiled innocently as she gently shampooed the dog's fur. The vet had ordered to give the puppy a bath, making sure to cover the cast, "But… Yeah! I guess that training Anthony gave me came in hand."

"Looks like you'll be busy," Steve walked in wearing a dark blue and silver suit. His shield was attached on his back, though it was painted in matte colors. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"New suit?" Clint asked. Steve nodded curtly, walking towards Olivia.

"Mission?" Olivia asked as well.

"We've located some scientists that were previously working at the Facility you were found in," Steve answered. "You'll have to stay here. Natasha and I will be back in a week."

"That'll be a boring week," Olivia said. "What if I need to get something for Patriot?"

"Clint's supposed to watch over you," Steve gestured to the assassin sitting at the lab table.

"You might regret that later," Olivia cringed slightly.

"I expect you'll not make any issues?"

"Yes, sir," Olivia mocked a salute with her soapy hands. "Can I have a hug before you go off to face a...dangerous feat?"

Steve held out his arms. Olivia quickly embraced her father.

"Please come back safe. They may just be scientists, but who knows what could happen?"

"You don't have to worry," Steve assured before kissing the top of his daughter's head. "You do a good job with school. Don't stress yourself."

"Aww. Daddy/daughter relationship adorableness," Clint clasped his hands together and smiled goofily. Olivia shot a glare at Clint, who held his hands up in surrender. The two pulled out of the hug before exchanging a fist bump.

"Remember-"

"Yeah, yeah. 'What would Captain America do'?" Olivia cut off her father. "I'll just be here, taking care of a sick puppy."

Steve nodded before exiting the room.

"Yay! We've got you all cleaned up, and your wounds are all tended to. It's all good, Patriot," Olivia hefted the puppy out of the sink and did her best to dry her off.

"Patriot?" Clint arched a brow at Olivia.

"Like the red, white, and blue. It came first to mind," Olivia shrugged. "After I get Patriot set to go, I'm going to have to get her a few toys, some food, y'know...puppy stuff. Dad just wanted to make sure she was okay."

Clint shrugged and sauntered away from the table. "Whatever you say, Miss America."

* * *

The next day, Olivia hummed in thought before returning to the not-so-small list of things to buy.

"Did Stark give you money to buy all that stuff?" Clint asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"No, but Pepper did after Patriot gave the classic 'pity me' look. I swear, that could be our thing," Olivia looked at the little bundle of blanket and puppy in her arms as she fixed the straps of her deep blue, embroidered backpack "Jeez, you've only been with each other for a few hours, and you're already best buddies."

She shrugged. "Dad and I adjusted quickly. It's still a little...odd, but I manage. I think Patriot will, too. I need… Starbucks. You think they give a discount for Avenger's daughters?"

"I've already tried a discount for being an Avenger. I don't think it'd work for you, kid."

"Darn. Well it's not like you saved the world from being overrun by aliens and a god."

"See, and I used that excuse before, and it didn't work. You'd think people would appreciate me saving their lives. Ungrateful jerks."

"Maybe I could get a discount for helping the elderly. Dad IS in his nineties, after all."

"Starbucks people don't care about you helping the elderly. They just want your money. Besides, I already tried."

Olivia hummed in thought. "Can I still have Starbucks?"

"Whatever you say, kid. I know there's one a walk away from the Pet Store we're going to. We'll part ways for only a minute. What do you want?"

"Frappuccino. Vanilla Bean. And I have my phone."

"A frapp? In wintertime?" he shrugged. "Whatever you say."

The two parted ways at the pet store. Olivia was about to begin her small shopping spree when a tv situated in a corner of the pet store alerted of a situation involving a huge robbery just down the street. Olivia furrowed her brow, wondering what it could be.

"Sorry, Patriot, but our shopping is gonna have to be put on hold for just a little while," the girl replied before gingerly placing the puppy in her backpack and briskly walking out of the store.

Olivia raced onto sight just a few roads away, her sunglasses covering her eyes. She looked around, seeing many civilian casualties, as well as the epicenter of the problem - a large group of robbers with black masks. Many had firearms, and a few were yelling orders.

She needed some way to distract a few of the robbers in order to drive it away from the civilians. Olivia was clueless as to how this needed to be handled… She had never dealt with a problem outside of the Tower before. The girl stopped to think before a thought struck her. She hid in the shadows, digging through her backpack to produce the Energy Gauntlet. She activated her shield and threw it at one of the men. It bounced away and back towards Olivia, who caught it.

Patriot looked out from her place in the backpack. She only saw more danger, and decided to retreat back to the place Olivia had put her.

"Hey, you're really ugly, and so's your mom!" Olivia yelled the insult. The men, who was particularly burly, was definitely angry now. Olivia backtracked, finding a nearby car to hide behind. She hid behind said car and waited. But there seemed to be silence. The bulky man had wandered off.

Olivia peeked out from the edge to see that the bulky man was, in fact, storming right towards her. The girl let out a frightened yelp before activating her shield once more and holding it out in front of her.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" a voice spoke up before the person it belonged to swung up to the left and landed both feet in the man's midsection. The man stumbled only a few inches.

"He's enhanced! He's probably got extremis in his system!" Olivia blurted, peeking from the edge of the energy shield. The person, who was wearing a makeshift, handsewn red spandex suit, landed on the fire engine a ways away from Olivia.

"Just who are you supposed to be?" Olivia and the teenager who had just attacked the man, asked in unison as they pointed at each other. She couldn't help but laugh a little at the simplicity of the unknown super's suit.

"You're not that guy that J. Jonah Jameson rambles about morning, noon, and night, are you? I think he calls you Spider-Man?" Olivia asked as she took her shield from the Gauntlet and swiftly threw it to where more of the robbers stood, trying to run away from the situation at hand. Olivia then threw her shield at the man from earlier. This only made him even more angry.

"That's me," the suited hero said before shooting a web-looking projectile at the man's face and pulling sharply on it. The man stumbled and fell back into a pile of cars.

"And who are you? Super Girl?"

"...Miss America, actually," Olivia countered. She decided the name fit, seeing how her uniform was red, white, and blue themed.

"So...what? You're like Captain America's daughter, or something?" Spider-Man slung two webs containing lightweight rubble towards the man. The man caught the rubble with his bare hands and then crushed the rubble like it was a tiny bug.

"Something like that," Olivia answered as she jumped from where the car stood and over to a civilian who was being threatened by a robber. She rammed the edge of her shield against the back of the robber's head, just hard enough to knock the robber out. Olivia then retrieved the bag of money the robber had and urged the civilian to run. "You know, you sound just a little familiar. Have I met you before?"

"I could say the same about you, Miss America. But it's not everyday you meet a girl who runs head first into a problem involving a big, muscled thug."

"Well…" Olivia hummed before assisting more civilians while Spider-Man dealt with the issue at hand. "Technically it wasn't head first."

"Can I ask what's up with the sunglasses?" Spider-Man said as he continued endless attacks on the lizard.

"I can't see without them (they're transitional glasses), and I'd rather not let the press know who I am. A multitude of people would be very unhappy that I faced this without consulting them first."

"A multitude?" Spider-Man seemed amused.

"Yeah, actually. One would be an angry director with an eyepatch."

Spider-Man shook his head in a confused manner. "You work for a pirate?"

"...Yeah, except he speaks with good English, and he doesn't have a parrot. He's kinda rude. ...You know what? It's complicated, okay? I'm leaving it at that."

Spider-Man shrugged. "Alright, then. I won't ask any more questions about your weird job."

Olivia laughed. "Says the guy in a onesie fighting off crime and calling himself 'Spider-Man,'" she smirked, seeing that most of the robbers were stuck to the sticky, web-like fluid Spider-Man had, or were lying on the ground, unconscious.

"You made that yourself?" Spider-Man seemed intrigued. He assisted in trying to deal with the last man, who was the man who was enhanced with extremis.

"Yep," she huffed, seeing that her actions were getting her nowhere. Spider-Man ran up to the man, and with all his might, he took the man's arm and drug it down with him. While still holding the man's wrist, Spider-Man crawled in between his legs. Olivia then assisted by swiftly pinned down the man's arm with a metal, handcuff-looking piece of metal. It drilled itself into the ground.

"There!" Olivia said before smiling brightly. She set her hands on her hips and looked around her. The concrete was cracked from places the man and Spider-Man had stormed around. A few cars were riddled with bullet holes, or dents where Olivia rammed her shield. Webs were everywhere on buildings, the ground, and the cars. She huffed.

"I don't think we made enough mess," Olivia said wryly, fixing the straps of her backpack. A few, black SUV's rolled up and out of one was Clint. He smirked and shook his head. Spider-Man had seemingly disappeared from the scene.

"I don't blame you, kid," Clint said, referring to the problem that had just been solved.

"You mean you're not mad?" Olivia cringed, readying herself for whatever punishment Clint would give her.

"Ticked off. Ticked off, but not mad. I would've personally helped you if you wouldn't have ran off. Your dad? He'd be angry. But I'm not your dad, sooooo…" Clint trailed off, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Thanks, I guess," Olivia said. She dug out Patriot from her backpack and held the puppy close to her chest, "Guess that she would get going," she turned back and looked up and around her to see Spider-Man perched on the very edge of a building. He seemed to be watching the events below him. Olivia curtly nodded before saluting. Spider-Man did the same.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chapter 12_ **

 

Olivia huffed as she looked over the holotable’s pictures. She thought it would be good to see if she could somehow help her dad with searching for her background. The search had been somewhat unfruitful when she had searched her previous mother and father’s names. 

 She exhaled and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her ears were ringing, despite the forties music that poured in through her headphones. A splitting headache had surfaced and disappeared now and then. Olivia had already taken an Advil, but it seemed to not help with the headache. 

 She shook her head and used both hands to sweep aside the pointless information concerning what little there was about her previous family. She was the only one in the Holotable room. Thankfully, it was the end of school for the day. Olivia had told Clint that she would be staying in the library for a while, and then she would come home later than usual. The teacher, oddly enough, had let Olivia use the Holotable, even if she hadn't had two years of experience. 

 “Let's see here…” Olivia mumbled before looking in both directions to see if anyone else was in the room. There was no one, so she took out a thumb drive from her satchel and placing it in the Holotable’s USB drive.

 She typed ‘Olivia Hale’ into the search engine. A plethora of things surfaced that ranged from pictures, to news articles. Olivia decided to choose the first thing that had come up. It was a Wikipedia article about her. She swiftly expanded the page and began reading the article. 

 ‘ _ Olivia Jade Hale {born January 6, 1999- September 17, 2011} was a German mechanic, scientist, and genius. She is known for her discovery of an alternative energy distributor… _

_  ‘Hale was recognized by the world at the age of five, when she presented the possibility of a terrorist attack on German Parliament right before it occurred. Her parents, Walter and Adelaide, were soon presented with multiple possibilities of Hale to be enrolled in many notable school. _

_  ‘Walter and Adelaide soon believed it would be best to return to the country of their heritage, and settled down in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Hale soon completed her high school education at the age of ten. She was offered a chance to further her education…’ _

__ She continued reading until one phrase stood out to Olivia at the bottom of the article. It read: ‘ _ Hale was assumed dead after several months of fruitless endeavors to search for her after she went missing the summer of 2004. Her gravesite can be seen in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, where she grew up…’ _

_  “ _ Wait, Germany?” Olivia said out loud. “I don't remember anything about Germany. And by the look of things, I appear to be dead,” She sucked in a breath after saying the sentence. A voice saying ‘ _ Herr Richter. The girl is still unstable. She is fighting our every command _ .’ Another voice said ‘ _ Call in Bakshi. Omega must learn to comply.’ _

 Olivia’s eyes grew wide as she remembered small bits and pieces. She gulped loudly, swiping the information to the side once again. She searched ‘Richter neurologist’. Pictures of a man in his twenties with neat, blonde hair and a thin face surfaced. Olivia only inhaled sharply before clearing the screen. That was him. Olivia distinctly remembered him from the Facility. It wasn't the Facility she was found in, it was another Facility. She knew that man. The man that Hill showed her must have been Mr. Bakshi. Olivia distinctly remembered Mr. Bakshi as well. 

 Why had she suddenly remembered this just by looking at a picture?! She searched her brain for more information, but her head hurt too much. She shook her head again before looking around and returning to the Holotable. She hacked into the SHIELD files, remembered how she did so earlier. 

 Olivia then searched for files concerning people. She swiftly found the one concerning her, but found that there was more than just one file. One file’s date read somewhere in the year 2004. Olivia clicked on the file, only to find that many of the words were covered with black boxes and a SHIELD emblem was stamped on the top in red ink. The words at the bottom of the emblem read ‘REDACTED’ in red, condescending letter.

 Redacted? That couldn't be right at all. Olivia took the document and looked all over it for some sort of other information. She needed something to tell her that she wasn't a danger of any sort. 

 “Miss Rogers,” Agent Weaver walked into the Holotable room. Olivia jumped from her seat and snatched the thumb drive from the Holotable and hid it behind her back.

 “Agent Weaver! How are you today?” Olivia faked a smile and a friendly wave before she inched over to the Holotable switch and turned it off. The information disappeared with the glow of the table.  

  “I expect to see you and your Facilitator in my office,” Agent Weaver said sternly before turning around and exiting the room. 

 “Yes, ma’am,” Olivia hung her head, then stuck the thumb drive in her purse, right by her phone. The phone encrypted the thumb drive, thus, making it impossible for others to see what she was looking up. If she was asked to use the thumb drive, she would do so. The only thing that would be found would be Olivia’s plans for her experiments and the like. 

 But whatever mess she had gotten herself into was sure to send Clint into a fit.

* * *

 

 “It has come to my attention that Miss Rogers has forced her way into SHIELD’s database. I am not sure what exactly she was doing there, Agent Barton. Maybe she would like to enlighten us?” Agent Weaver asked as she set her arms on the mahogany desk. 

 Clint looked at Olivia, who avoided any eye contact. She found a fascination with picking the dirt from her nails and remained silent. 

 “I…” she trailed off as she tried to think of a logical excuse. “My SHIELD History class required an essay on a person of choice. Wikipedia didn't have anything on what I needed.” 

 “So you decided to break into the database?” Clint said calmly and casually. It freaked Olivia out to see how calm Clint was. 

 “Yes…?” Olivia answered, giving a smile. 

 “I suggest a week of community service, just as a warning,” Agent Weaver said sternly. “I'm sure the Academy bathrooms could use a nice cleaning up. You'll begin tomorrow.”

 Olivia’s countenance sank to a scowl. “Yes ma’am,” she spat, staring at the floor like it had given her the punishment. 

 “You are both free to go,” Agent Weaver said. 

 Clint and Olivia rose from their seats and walked out of the office. 

 “What were you thinking?!” Clint smacked the back of the girl’s head after exiting the office. 

 Olivia stayed silent as she stared off into space. Everything around her seemed to be a blur. The red, condescending letters reading ‘REDACTED’ flashed behind her eyes. She clutched the strap of her satchel until her knuckles turned white.  

 “Clint?” Olivia began, looking at the archer. “What does it mean when a file is redacted?” She knew what the word meant, but she didn't know what that made her. 

 Clint furrowed his brow. “Why do you want to know about that?” 

 She shook her head. “Nothing, I guess. I was just wondering.” 

 “You found a file that was redacted?” Clint deduced.  

 “...Yeah, I guess.” 

 Clint's furrowed brow only furrowed even more. He remained silent, though his mouth was agape, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. He finally spoke up, saying, “I don't know, kid.” It was obvious he had some sort of idea, but didn't have the audacity to say it. 

 “Don't think this gets you off the hook,” Clint reminded, feeling the need to smack the back of Olivia’s head again. 

 “Ow! I kinda need my brain, thanks!” Olivia winced, rubbing the back of her head. 

 “Research, my foot,” Clint mumbled. “You know, I have half a mind to tell your dad about the crazy move you did.” 

 Olivia’s eyes widened in fear. “Please don't! I want to live!” 

 Clint replied in silence as he steeped himself in his anger. Olivia gulped nervously. She almost regretted her decision to hack into the database. Almost…

* * *

 

 Olivia huffed as she slammed her SHIELD History book shut. She smacked her face into the book and let out a particularly loud sigh. She was BORED. She looked over to Patriot, who was gnawing on a replica dog toy version of Mjolnir. The puppy stopped in its pursuit to look up at Olivia and give an adorable yip. 

 Olivia grinned and pet the puppy’s head. Patriot seemed to be healing well, though her front leg was still broken. 

 “I'm BORED.” Olivia admitted as she slid down into her chair. Thor walked into the communal area before stopping to look at Patriot. The blonde god let out a cry of surprise before running over to Patriot. 

 “Fair beast! Cease your destruction of Mjolnir! I require that for battle!” Thor looked in horror at Patriot, who only yipped once again, a goofy grin on her muzzle. 

 “Relax, Thor,” Olivia giggled, picking up the replica. Thor only looked even more shocked. 

 “You are worthy?!” 

 “No, Thor! Plastic!” she tapped a finger against the hammer. 

 “That is...incredibly misleading,” Tony, who had walked into the room a few moments ago, said as he pointed to the hammer. 

 “Well, I thought it was funny,” Olivia smirked. 

 Thor still looked slightly confused before walking out of the room. Tony eventually did the same. 

 Olivia huffed and returned to smacking her face with the History book. She stopped in her endeavors to jump from her seat. Patriot followed as Olivia walked from the room and to the lab. She really needed to finish her Energy Shield in order to get a good standing in the Science Fair. 

 The electronics welder hissed as Olivia worked on the outer energy distributor. She was out in space as she mindlessly worked with forties music playing in the background. All that she had done in the lab was making her own superglue concoction, and creating small, dissolvable arrows that were filled with enough dendrotoxin to knock a person out from a few hours. She realized she needed some sort of non-lethal form of arrows and decided to make her own. Clint had arrows for practically every occasions, including Skittle arrows. Olivia believed that it would be fine to have a few different ones. 

 “So are you only into mechanics, kid, orrr…” Bruce trailed off as he continued working on his own experiments. 

 “No,” Olivia answered monotonously as she worked on the gauntlet. “I've heard I make a very good doctor. Don't know if that's true, since the last time I medically worked on a brain, I kinda...puked...once the smell hit me. Both things were disgusting. I tend to work with the things that don't make me puke.” 

 Banner nodded knowingly before returning to his work. Silence engulfed the room. Olivia stared off into space again. The findings from earlier had her scared. What would it mean if a document was redacted? Was she dangerous? Was Richter, wherever he was, still looking for her? What about Bakshi? 

 Her brain asked a million questions at a mile a minute. Apparently she had roots originating from Germany and was assumed dead after she had been missing for such a large amount of time.   

 The loud whining noise and headache returned and Olivia soon found it difficult to concentrate. 

 The smell of burning metal soon filled the air and a loud  _ KA-BAAM!!  _ followed. Olivia coughed as she swept the smoke away. She forgot that a working prototype of bomb arrows were on her table. Her hand had wandered and she had accidentally set one off. 

 “Oops,” she said, awkwardly smiling. “I'll just...clean this up.”

 Olivia was seen the next day sitting on the couch in the living room with a book in hand and a bunch of multicolored yarn, but most of them were red, white, and blue. Patriot played with a yarn ball nearby, a nice red, white, and blue crocheted handkerchief around her neck. 

 Pepper walked in, a curious look on her face. She looked at the girl sitting on the couch. Next to her was a pile of an assortment crocheted goods. 

 “What's all this?” Pepper asked as she looked over a pair of comfy fingerless gloves. 

 “Crochet. Heard it’s therapeutic. Thought it was nice,” Olivia answered between counting. 

 “You made all this?” Pepper seemed somewhat scared and fascinated at the girl’s industrialism. 

 “You'd be surprised with what you do in just five hours,” Olivia answered, still fixated on her project. She held the project up, revealing the beginning of a red, white, and blue striped blanket. 

 “For Dad!” she said proudly as she beamed. “I figured that he's done so much for me and deserves something in return! He doesn't like the cold, because, y’know…and I made sure to make it super soft.” 

 Pepper smiled. “That's really nice, Liv. But how'd you learn to make all this?” 

 “The library! I was bored, because Clint said I couldn't go around helping-” she caught herself from saying ‘Spider-Man’. Who knew how Pepper would react? “...the Cadets at the Academy with their Science Fair projects. So we made a deal to stop by library and the craft store to keep me company. ...I hope you don't mind.” 

 “...No, not at all,” Pepper furrowed her brow. “When's the Science Fair?” 

 “Tomorrow, actually,” Olivia answered enthusiastically. I'm all ready!”

* * *

 

**Kassel, Germany**

 Steve and Natasha silently evacuated a Facility with help from a provided team. The snow gusted about , creating a white out as the crunching of boots against the snow could be heard. Behind the agents and two Avengers were several scientists who were closely watched by agents. The scientists were handcuffed. 

 “Any of these people we need to know?” Steve asked as he watched the scientists loaded into Quinjets. 

 “One,” Natasha answered through chattering teeth. She handed over the tablet before trying to rub the warmth back into her fingers. A file was present in the screen and in the corner was a picture of a woman with dark brown and grey-streaked hair and steely grey eyes. 

 “A one Constanze Richards. Supposed sister of Walter Hale, Olivia’s father. Richards is married and has one child , but her husband likes to take long vacations, or archeological visits to different places, leaving the kid to be left alone. Not a smart plan, if you ask me.”

 “Any connections with Liv alone?” Steve asked. 

 “Not that we know of. The woman willingly gave herself over, saying that she was ‘ready to complete the ultimate goal’,” Natasha looked confused.

 “That's not suspicious at all,” Steve muttered sarcastically, “Whatever she has planned has to involve Liv. We need to keep her away.”

 “You don't seem too keen on that,” 

 “I'm not,” Steve answered plainly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Liv might know something about Richards that Richards might not ever reveal. And lying to my own daughter is not something I'll ever be ‘keen’ with.” 

 Natasha looked at Steve and smirked. 

 “What?” 

 “You just called Liv your daughter,” Natasha remind in a mocking, sing-songy tone. “How does it feel, Captain America? To have someone else to worry about? Now we just gotta work on your dating skills.” 

 Steve rolled his eyes in a more annoyed way. “Whatever, Romanoff,” he said, still looking over Richard’s file. 


	13. Chapter 13

**_Chapter 13_ **

  
  


The Science Fair was located in the Presentation Hall of Gramercy Hall. Olivia nonchalantly walked through the Hall, a crate of supplies in her arms. Around her, Cadets were just finishing up their booths. There were some booths that had new sources of technology, or robots, and even inventions that could be used for helping certain health maladies. 

 “There's some nice stuff here,” Bruce admitted as he walked behind Olivia. Thor, Clint, Pepper, and Tony, as well as Jane and Darcy had followed along in order to give support.

 “It's like Comic Con, but for nerds,” Tony replied as he spun around in order to take his surroundings in. 

 “You nervous, Liv?” Clint asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. 

 Olivia scoffed. “Me? Nervous? No! ...I just kind of wished Dad could have come to see me,” she admitted, then straightened up as she proudly strode through the room. “But other than that, nope! Just fine!” 

 “She's nervous,” Tony called out.  

 “No, I'm not!” Olivia scoffed again, sending a glare to Tony. 

 “You'll do just fine, Liv!” Pepper smiled, placing a gentle hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “Steve and Natasha are coming home tomorrow, so you can tell them all about it then!” 

 “You shall do excellently, Little Midgardian!” Thor assured as he gave a ridiculous grin. The group walked to the back stage where the teenagers who were presenting were readying themselves for their upcoming tasks. 

 Olivia sharply exhaled before digging through her supplies and getting her gauntlet and the sample power source she had brought. 

 “Alright, before we find a space in the already building crowd, we need a momento to send to the two people who are missing out,” Pepper dug out a camera from her purse. “Everyone gather around Liv and say ‘Olivia’!” 

 The group did so and Pepper snapped a few pictures. They dispersed, leaving Clint and Olivia behind. Liv nervously looked at her presentation items. 

 “What's up, kid?” Clint offered a smile. “You look liked you just got in trouble for hacking into the SHIELD files. Again.”

 “Sorry about that…” Olivia said genuinely. She nervously swallowed, “I'm just...worried that my anxiety will take over, or I'll forget what I need to say. Without Dad here to give me a pep talk, well… I just feel a little more nervous.”

 “Hey!” Clint set a hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “You're gonna do great. After all, who's the genius?” 

 “I'm the genius,” Olivia repeated, a small smile forming on her face. She nodded, preparing herself. 

 “Yeah! And no matter how great you do today, Steve is gonna be proud of you. And don't forget that we are, too, kid.” 

 “ _ Next Presentation: Olivia Rogers, _ ” the announcer said over the microphone. 

 “One thing I learned from living in the circus was that ‘the show must go on’ and that ‘no matter how bad you mess up, what really matters is that you press on’. Yeah, you might forget your lines, but you take a moment, clear your head, and get right back to it,” Clint instructed before turning around. “Now, you go out there, and you do your best. I have to go find a seat.” 

 “Hey, Clint?” Olivia said, making the archer turn around.

 “Yeah?” 

 “...Thanks.”

 “Yeah.” 

  She nodded solemnly and turned to the stage before walking out onto it. Olivia hesitantly walked out to where she could see the small crowd that had decided to watch. In her hand was a microphone and on her wrist was her gauntlet. 

 Olivia cleared her throat. Her voice first came out as a thin squeak. She shook her head and cleared her throat again. “Hello. My name’s Olivia Rogers…” she trailed off, seeing the judges already were writing things on their clipboards. How did Tony have the audacity to do expos?!

 “For the past...month, I have been working on a new sort of energy source,” Olivia held up a hairspray sized glass bottle that was capped on both sides. The energy found inside was pure white and was flowing around a piece of steel. The people looked disinterested though, and it was soon grating on Olivia’s nerves. She looked worriedly at Clint who only mouthed ‘relax’ as he took a deep breath. 

 Olivia did so, a small smile returning to face. “Now, energy sources aren't good just by themselves. But, with a little help, they can...power buildings, supply a light source, and, because of the type of energy I have created, be used in a containment module. My favorite use, is for plain defense. I give you, the Energy Shield,” she pressed the button on the gauntlet and the red, white, and blue shield was emitted. Several people ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ before joining to watch the presentation. 

 “Energy shields are contained in devices worn on the wrist or contained in a gauntlet. An example of it being worn on the wrist may be...say, a wristwatch, specifically designed for simple use in a quick situation. When needed, the device is activated, most likely by a button and the shield 'expands' from the emitter. This new source of energy is not easily broken if a person were to throw something...” it was Tony’s cue to throw a wrench at Olivia. She held up her shield, and the wrench bounced right of it. “...the attack would be deflected, leaving the user to absolutely no harm. This shield can successfully block things ranging from bullets, to punches and kicks from a person, to the average rogue baseball.

 “Also, if thrown hard enough,” a wall prop was brought on stage. Olivia swiftly threw her shield at the wall, and the shield was stuck in the wall, “the shield can lodge itself into walls that are even made of steel. The Energy Shield can also prop open doors for a small amount of time before it disintegrates and reappears inside the gauntlet. You only need to retrieve the shield via pressing the button. The same principle can be applied to, standing on the shield if you were surrounded by toxic waste.

 “But there is no need to fear. The shield has a five hour waiting time before it fully disintegrates and can be emitted right again. The only way the shield can immediately disintegrate is when it is subjected to 700 to 1,200 degrees Celsius, or the temperature of lava. The shield also has a safety feature. It measures the first user’s DNA and if another user who is not registered tries to use it, the shield will disable itself. It will also disable itself when the user’s arm is not present. So, if I take it off,” Olivia slipped off the gauntlet and the shield disintegrated, “it would disable itself!

 “And the designs are limitless! The energy can be manipulated into any color, shape, and size, depending on what you used for your emitter! 

 “The Energy Shield!” Olivia held up the gauntlet as she beamed brightly. Applause filled the room and Olivia walked off the stage, not forgetting to hand over the microphone. 

 The Avengers raced over to Olivia with proud looks in their eyes. Clint was the first to offer a high-five of which Olivia completely smacked down. Thor engulfed the girl in a bear hug that had the capability of completely crushing her were it not for Jane, who intervened. 

 “You go, girl!” Darcy said as she smiled. She offered a fist bump and Olivia bumped it as well. 

 “How do you think you did, kid?” Tony asked with a knowing smirk, like he had seen the whole thing coming. “You think you're ready for expo’s?” 

 Olivia scoffed. “Me? Expo’s?” she shook her head, saying, “...I'm not sure how I feel about that,” she spied the area around her, seeing the particularly familiar face of Peter Parker. 

 “I'll be right back,” Olivia said before wandering off. She sauntered up to Peter and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, a curious look on his face. 

 “Hey! Olivia, right?” he asked, pointing to her. 

 She nodded and hummed in agreement before arching a brow. He sounded...familiar. She brushed it off, “That's me! And you're Peter?” 

 Peter nodded as well. “Some presentation. I don't think I've heard them applaud that loud. Ever.” 

 “Really? Do you go to the Science Fair yearly?” 

 “This is my second year, actually. It’s normally advertised everywhere as some fancy Academy’s Science Fair. I decided I should see what these people’s minds are like. All of this is pretty impressive,” he admitted. 

 Olivia smiled and shrugged. “Well, I go here now.” Peter nodded and the conversation was left to silence. Olivia awkwardly rocked on her heels. 

 “Are you-” the two began talking then quickly stopped speaking to let the other talk. 

 “You're actually related to Steve Rogers?” he asked. 

 She nodded. “Only by adoption though. Rogue science experiment?” 

 He nodded. “Radioactive spider.” 

 “Very interesting… How long?” 

 “Since last year.” 

 “Last year? What was that like?” 

 “Interesting, for one,” he admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “I kept knocking stuff over like a hyper baby giraffe. ...How long have you had a family?” 

 “Almost a week and a half.” 

 Peter seemed shocked. 

 “Yeah; I know. I hadn’t ever dealt with robbers, or thugs, or being approached by a man with extremis… First time for everything I guess!” she laughed awkwardly.

 “So wait, that enhanced was the first time you actually, like, fought something?” he asked, looking at Olivia with a mixture of curiosity and awe. 

 “...Yes?” she admitted sheepishly. 

 “That's...pretty awesome,” he said with a smile. “Battling a giant, muscly...guy isn't the most reassuring thing out there.”

 “I don't think it would be,” Olivia said as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

 “It's hard to think that you made that shield yourself.”  

 “And you came up with those web shooters. We're both geniuses.” 

 “Geniuses that aren't very appreciated for the things that they do,” Peter added. 

 “It's rough,” Olivia agreed. 

 “...Is there any way I can get a hold of you? You know, in case the lizard attacks again and I need some help?” 

 “Uh, yeah! Yeah! Is my phone number okay?”

  “That’ll do just fine.”

 “Great,” Olivia opened her contacts before handing over her phone. “I'll see if I can get, like, a watch that I can wear in order to keep in touch.” 

 “ _ And now, we’ll announce this year’s Science Fair winner,”  _ Agent Weaver’s voice carried through the sound system. 

 “Okey dokey,” Olivia said somewhat nervously. She watched the presentation stage in anticipation. 

_ “It is a tradition here at Sci-Tech, to begin the awards with third place. So, without further ado, third place winner is Ava Perez with her Self-Altering plants.” _

 “Self-altering plants? They're like immortalized perennials? That's ingenious. Wouldn't have thought of that,” Olivia mumbled to herself as she watched the girl in her late teens walk up to accept the prize of one-hundred dollars. She hummed in thought and finished entering her information into Peter’s phone. 

 “Are you always analyzing everything?” he asked curiously. 

 “Yeah. You can even ask my dad. He says it's a ‘bad habit’. I have no idea what he's talking about.” 

 “ _ Next, the second place winner, with quite a stunning presentation, is Olivia Rogers with her Energy Shield.”  _

__ “No way!!!” Olivia blurted happily. She actually placed in the top two?! Olivia looked from Peter, to Agent Weaver, to the Avengers (all of which were smiling brightly as they gestures to the presentation stage). 

“I suggest you go get your prize before they give it to someone else,” Peter suggested. 

 “Right,” Olivia nodded. She rushed onto the stage, a bright smile on her face. The prize was a mechanic’s toolbox, complete with supplies, as well as tools to call her own. 

 “Thank you, Agent Weaver,” Olivia said, hugging the toolbox close. She looked at the Avengers, who looked even more proud than before. She wondered how proud her dad would be once she gave the news that she had actually one something.  

 Olivia looked upon the applauding crowd, seeing scientists of all ages that were congratulating her for her efforts. 

 But what she didn't see were the two ominous bodyguards looming at the back of the building.

* * *

 

 The next day was full with lighthearted ridiculousness. Thankfully it wasn't a problem concerning Bruce, but it was still interesting. 

 Olivia was able to spend her whole day at the Tower because, it was in fact Saturday, and Steve and Natasha would be back right before lunch. 

 “I have the target in sight,” Olivia whispered as she looked down at Patriot. The puppy gleefully yipped as she hopped up and down, a plastic Captain America shield strapped onto her back. Olivia shushed the puppy while she loaded the Nerf crossbow. She then slid into the living room, firing two shots towards the massive pillow pile situated at the couch. The nerf bullets bounced off the barricade and onto the floor. 

 “ _ Do you hear the people sing? Singing the songs of angry men! _ ” Clint actually yelled instead of singing the lyrics. He rapidly fired bullets at Olivia, who was almost hit as she dove to the nearby bar. 

 “Didn't take you for a Les Miserables fan!” she admitted before firing more nerf bullets. Clint and Olivia had originally began the nerf war in Tony’s lab. This was frowned upon greatly by Stark, but responded with heavily modified, rapid fire nerf bullets. Clint had swiftly left the lab through the vents while Olivia and Patriot suffered through the endless torrent of bullets. That left her to where she was now, leaning against the counter of the bar. 

 “Nat likes things like that,” Clint admitted as he stayed safely behind his barricade. 

 Olivia turned to Patriot. “I'll hold off the target, while you get the flag. ‘Kay?” 

 Patriot responded with a yip before she gave a goofy grin.  

 “Great,” Olivia nodded and swallowed. “Three, two, one…” she burst from her hiding spot and slid right into the barricade. The pillows and blankets cascaded down on top of Olivia. Clint cried out in surprise before shooting two nerf bullets at Olivia’s chest.

  “No!” the girl cried out as she clutched her chest and feigned her death. She fell to her back. “Tell Dad...I…” she dramatically trailed off. Patriot hopped over the pile of pillows and made sure to do her job well. She grabbed the flag (which was a shirt with the Captain America shield symbol on it) and shimmied her way towards the base, which was located in the gym. 

 “No!” Clint yelled. “Get that dog!” 

 Tony rushed into the room, both rapid fire guns in both hands. Over his Black Sabbath shirt was both a Hawkeye and Captain America shirt. “Ha! Joke’s on you, losers! I took both your flags. Try getting them back, now!” 

 “What is the conundrum that is going on in here?” Thor came into the room wearing regular clothing. What was off was that he had a shower cap covering his hair and a box of pop tarts in one hand. Olivia snapped a picture. 

 Just then, the elevator opened, revealing Pepper, Steve, and Natasha. All looked somewhat shocked as they remained in their spots. 

 “Do I even WANT to ask?” Natasha said, looking to Clint. Olivia broke down into a fit of laughter. Patriot rushed over to Steve and offered a true welcome home. Steve arched an eyebrow at the puppy before stopping down to pat her head. 

 “Why does your dog have my shield on its back?” Steve asked Olivia, who was still cracking up. 

 “Because she was being Cap and I was the number one sidekick. Even if I did give most of the commands,” Olivia giggled as she squirmed out of the pile of pillows and blankets.

 “That's not the real question,” Tony interrupted. “The real question is: Thor, what the heck are you doing?” 

 “Lady Pepper suggested a ‘coconut oil mask’ for my hair. Though I do not know why they call it a mask. The oil does not go on your face.” Thor said as he spat S’mores pop tart crumbs everywhere. 

 “Tony, why are you wearing three shirts?” Pepper asked as she pointed to Tony. 

 “Because, science, Pep!” Tony said, throwing his hands into the air before walking off. 

 “Long story short,” Bruce walked into the room. He seemed to be the only normal person in room. “chaos has broken in the Tower. There was a science fair, a lot of movies and Doritos, a hyper puppy, a nerf war, and Olivia got in trouble for hacking into SHIELD.” 

 “Bruce!” Olivia blurted, glaring metaphorical daggers at the scientist. 

 “Was I not supposed to mention that?” Bruce asked, looking just a little incredulous. 

 “You did what?” Steve crossed his arms over his suit and looked at Olivia. 

 “Nothing,” Olivia swiftly replied as she tried to slide out of the room. This failed when Natasha grabbed the girl by the back collar of her shirt.  

 “What'd you do, kid?” Natasha asked, annoyance filling her tone. 

 “Clint?” Olivia looked to the archer as she stood and smoothed out her shirt. 

 “Can't blame this on me, kid,” Clint took a step back. 

 Olivia huffed. “I needed to look something up about myself and it looks like ‘Olivia Hale’ is supposed to be missing or even dead, but I won second place at the Science Fair!” she said everything as if it were one big sentence before punctuating it with a smile. 

 Natasha and Steve looked oddly Olivia.

 “Where did you find that out?” Steve asked first.

 “Wikipedia,” Olivia answered. She was, in fact, hiding something, and it was disguised as a look of fear in her eyes. 

 “Unreliable,” Pepper muttered. 

 “For the last time, Pepper,” Tony spoke up from another room. “Wikipedia is reliable! ...When you keep me away from it.” 

 Steve looked somewhat concerned. He shook his head, like he was clearing a bad thought from his mind. “This subject isn't over,” he  assured before walking back into the elevator.

* * *

 

 Steve watched as Olivia nodded off now and again as she struggled to watch the rest of the Lego Movie. Everyone else had fallen asleep, and he could feel himself nod off as well. Olivia was situated on the sofa in the crook of Steve’s arm. She eventually fell asleep, resting her head on Steve’s shoulder as she held Patriot on her lap. 

 Steve smiled at his daughter as he covered her with the blanket he had been using. 

 He wondered what had driven her to look for information about herself on the Internet. Did she not trust SHIELD? Did Olivia not even trust Steve? He understood that she was previously in a terrible place, but she was safe now. Perhaps it would help if he asked about it. But maybe that would only place more pressure on her. 

 Fury instructed Natasha and him to keep the scientist they had found in the interrogation room located in the basement of the Tower. Maybe Richards knew about the thing Olivia kept secret.

 He sighed. Maybe it was best if he and Olivia did talk about what happened the last week. Maybe it would help her know that she could trust him. 

 ...Whatever the situation was, he wasn't good at handling teenage trauma. He was Captain America. He was known for rescuing hostages and rounding up bad guys, not for taking care of a family, or handling a teenaged daughter all by himself. 

 Sure, Natasha had said assured him of his ability to take care of Olivia, since the girl was so ‘low-key’ and ‘had the ability to take care of herself’. Apparently her taking care of herself also included her hacking into SHIELD. 

 Granted, Steve didn't regret adopting Olivia. He was just...unsure in how to raise her. 

 He let out a sigh and ran his hands threw his hair. Taking care of a teenager was certainly different than what he was expecting.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Chapter 14_ **

  
  


_ The town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber was nervous. Something happened, something that the people were not accustomed to.  _

_  The town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber had visitors.  _

_  And not just any visitors.  _

_  Visitors in scary, black trucks.  _

_  So everyone stayed inside. Who knew what the visitors in black trucks wanted?  _

_  A man piled out of the passenger side of one of the trucks. He wore a pitch black suit, and a crisp white suit shirt. As soon as he climbed out of the car, he smoothed the black vest he wore over the white shirt and straightened his blood red tie. It was the only piece of clothing that stood out from the rest.  _

_  “Find the girl,” he demanded, his voice accented by German dialogue. He spoke to the men standing behind him, who wore bulletproof vests. The leader of the men - a man with dark hair and an ever present ear comm - commanded teams of two to search through every home in the tiny village.  _

_  “How do you know the girl’s here?” the leader of the men asked the man in the suit.  _

_  “Americans. Such skepticism is disappointing, Herr Rumlow. Your leader would not send you with me had my abilities to find the girl were lacking.”  _

_  “He's your leader, too, Richter,” Rumlow stated, walking beside the man in the suit.  _

_  “I would prefer you address me by your form of Herr. I believe it is the term ‘mister’ or ‘sir’? You people know nothing of respect.”  _

_  Rumlow ignored this comment. Silence overcame the group, and the only thing that could be heard were the sounds of boots crunching in the gravel and the buzzing of summer bugs. Rumlow and Richter walked through the quiet town until they came to the southern edge, where a small, medieval-like cottage stood surrounded by overgrowing plants.  _

_  Richter hospitably rapped his knuckles on the door.  _

_  “You mean to tell me that you knew exactly where the girl was?” Rumlow sounded annoyed as he spoke.  _

_  “But of course. It wasn't I who brought your men along,” Richter said innocently before the door opened, revealing a man in his early twenties. He wore casual clothing and his hands were stained by motor grease. The welcoming smile on the man’s face disappeared as soon as he saw Richter standing at the door.  _

_  “Herr Richter,” the man said with a gulp. He also had a heavy, German accent.  _

_  “Indeed, Herr Hale,” Richter replied, still standing at the door. “I am sure you know why I am here.”  _

_  “Yes, Herr Richter. But you said she would be able to finish her whole education by the time you took her away. She is only five and her education is only halfway done!” Hale argued.  _

_  “I am afraid we will be taking her earlier than we have expected. Do not worry; she will continue her education under my tutelage. Her work with the German parliament has exceeded our expectations. You willingly agreed to supply your daughter, Herr Hale. Do not forget that.”  _

_  Hale nodded. “Of course. You may come in,” he opened the door. A little girl who looked about five sat at the living room table with her mother. The little girl looked intimidatingly at the two men before continuing with her homework. _

* * *

 

 Olivia looked around the bank she had been situated in for the past half hour. She was wearing black jeans, a slate grey long sleeved shirt, and matching converse. Her first mission - one involving hostages and a bomb in return for money - was stressful and she came in wearing plain clothes. No doubt, she had received stares from agents, but she only smiled at them and nodded. 

 The plan was to negotiate. But in case negotiations didn't work, Olivia had brought a prototype mini crossbow that was fit on her wrist and already loaded with a tiny, electrocution arrow that only had enough voltage to temporarily paralyze a person. 

 She sat in the crowd of hostages that were made to sit on the cold, marble floor and were restrained by the wrists by zip ties. Olivia had literally dropped into the situation from the vents. She blended into the crowd, pretending that her wrists were also restrained. 

 “Target acquired.” Olivia whispered very faintly. 

 “ _ Abort mission. _ ” Fury’s tinny voice filtered in through her comm. He enunciated every syllable. “ _ Pull back, Rogers. You obviously don't know the meaning of ‘dangerous mission’ _ .” 

 “Sorry, can't do that.” Olivia replied. She spied the bomber - a big galoot who looked like he needed the money to buy more donuts. He kept his hand on the trigger, which was a joystick looking device with a bright red button at the top. It was wired to a bomb, which was wrapped around the guy’s midsection. There were two separate packs. The back would explode first, and then the front. 

_ Suicide bombing. A fourteen-year-old is negotiating to stop a suicide bombing,  _ she gulped at the thought. She WAS the person who guaranteed that she had the ability to be ‘the person’ when it came diffusing a bomb for SHIELD. 

 She slowly assessed the situation, remembering that the extraction team were more than ready to intervene if they heard a commotion. Olivia was surprised that SHIELD hadn't called in a sniper, but then again, the bomber WAS strapped to his own bomb. A bullet plus a bomb equaled ‘boom’. 

 It was a grammar test. That's all it was. Failure meant death for her, as well as the hostages, and the nearby block to be utterly decimated. 

 There was no need to worry. ...Was there?

 Those in the extraction team had tapped into the security cameras in order to keep an eye on Olivia. 

 The problem was that at any time, the bomber could simply let go of the tiny red button at the top of the control and everyone would be blown to bits. It was less than comforting. She needed to somehow convince said bomber to calm down (he had quite the temper) in order to swiftly cut the wires connected to the control. But in order to do that, she needed to get his attention. 

 She had just the idea. Olivia scooted on her backside, using her legs to drag herself forward. The bomber had seen this. 

 “You stay there, little girl!” he yelled, pointing the control at Olivia. She stopped in her scooting and paused to look at the bomber. 

 She mocked her best ‘scared little girl’ impression, saying, “Please, sir. My mom is wounded. She needs a doctor!” while motioning to a woman Olivia didn't even know. The woman was, in fact, bleeding from being grazed by a bullet that the bomber had fired from a gun that he kept tucked into his waistband. 

 “You just stay put!” he barked, his fat face wrinkled from anger and...fear? Could that be a hint of fear in his expression? Surely not… 

 How was she to go around this? Calm him down? Small talk? She could do small talk. It's what she did this morning when Steve had asked about her breaking into SHIELD. She still hadn't gotten the smell of bathrooms out of her clothes after having to clean them every single day. She was glad that was over. Thankfully, she could drag this out; take how much time she needed in order to get everyone, including her, to safety. She was patient. 

 That is, she could be patient, were it not for the fact that she constantly had orders being barked at her through her comm. SHE could be patient. Other people? Not so much. Olivia had half a mind to rip the comm from her ear and toss it to the other side of the room. She couldn't do that, though, because it would reveal that she was, in fact, not restrained. She needed to keep her cover. 

 “So, uh, what good movies have you seen lately?” She asked, cringing at the high chances of her being shot at. 

 He ignored her at first, but then answered with a disgruntled, “Frozen”. 

_ For the love of God, whatever you do, don't let it go,  _ she thought, looking at the remote control. On more than one occasion, he had tauntingly waved it in front of the restrained banker who hadn't yet complied. One of those times, the attempt wouldn't be a threat. 

 “You have a favorite movie?” she asked. 

 “...Anything Batman.” 

 Her face twisted into a frown when he had his back turned. Batman was one of her’s and Steve’s most hated movies. He and Superman held no regard for civilian casualties. 

 “That's cool,” she eventually answered, rolling her eyes a tiny bit.

 The small talk continued. Five of the hostages (there had to be at least fifteen to begin with, not including Olivia) had left to go to the bathroom and hadn't been seen from after they escaped via bathroom window. This happened after a course of six hours. It was now close to evening time. This could last until the next morning. SHIELD was more than impatient. 

 Olivia sighed quietly. The bomber had fallen into another heated argument with the banker. The banker stood behind a large glass divider and the bomber argued with him as he stood just in front of the divider. 

 The arguing was becoming quite loud. Things turned from zero to one hundred when the bomber suddenly took his thumb off the button. Time had slowed. Olivia jumped from where she sat and raced over to the bomber in an attempt to fight for the control. A large explosion went off and she was thrown to the ground as the shattered glass divider flew in every direction. She landed roughly on her left shoulder, but proceeded to dazedly jump from her spot on the ground and snatched up the remote and jammed her thumb on the button just in time before the next explosion could be set off. 

 Olivia stared at the control in disbelief. She couldn't believe that she had reacted so quickly. It was like lightning. Her breath came out in quickened, hard puffs and her eyes were as large as saucers. 

 The extraction team rushed in. Half helped the hostages and half ran to Olivia. 

 Steve rushed in as well, convincing the extraction team that he needed to be there, especially since Olivia held her own life in her hands. 

 “Are you nuts?!” Steve hissed out the question instead of yelling it. 

 “Maybe,” Olivia shrugged, tearing her gaze away from the control as the bomb team safely defused the bomb. She couldn't look at the burnt remains of the bomber, so she looked at Steve. She slowly grinned, but saw that Steve was not grinning. 

 “Not a happy moment?” she asked with confusion present in her tone. 

 “Not at all.” Steve ground out. “You disobeyed protocol, completely ignored Fury’s instructions and almost got yourself killed more than once.”

 Olivia blinked a few times. Her fingers were cramping up from the death grip she had on the control. “But, I…” she trailed off, trying to find a good excuse to give. There weren't any to be found, so she just closed her mouth and remained silent. 

 “Don't you let go of that control.” Steve ordered. 

 Olivia stopped to look at Steve with an ‘are you even kidding’ expression written across her face.  

“I don't think I would ever let go of the thing that was my one stop shot at a meet and greet with the Grim Reaper,” she said wryly, clutching the control until her knuckles turned white. She stared at the control with fear in her eyes. Death had always scared her, even to the point where she would go into near panic attacks even if the possibility had presented itself. 

 Even as a little girl, the thought of an inevitable, impending doom was enough to make her scream in terror. It was the thing that had worsened the panic attacks and made her feel like a vulnerable, helpless being. 

 In order to worry less about this, she found that the best thing to do was to look at the many things she had accomplished. If she did die at any time, she would at least be known for her helping hostages and saving people. 

 And that's what made her truly happy.

 “You can breathe now, Rogers,” one member of the extraction team, who was also a member of the Bomb Squad, said.  “The bomb is clipped.”

 “Are you sure?” Olivia asked, staring back at the control. The extraction member only nodded. Olivia tossed away the control like it had just bitten her. The SHIELD Bomb Squad brought in a bomb containment facility and wheeled the dangerous item away. 

 The next thing Olivia did was to quickly throw her arms around her dad. He was caught off guard by this, and was still a little angry, but the sudden embrace seemed to erase the anger. Steve swiftly hugged Olivia back, thankful that she was safe and that her first mission only resulted in a few cuts and bruises. Speaking of which…

  “You need to go look for the Paramedics. They'll get you cleaned up,” Steve ordered, pulling out of the hug.  

 Olivia pouted. “You had to go and kill the moment,” she said, arching an eyebrow at her dad. Steve only looked expectantly at her. Olivia held the look for just a little while before finally giving up. 

 “Fine,” she huffed and spun around on her heels before practically stomping away as she muttered: “Blasted Paramedics. They diagnose me with something that I don't have and then insist that I stay in the hospital. I hate medical science.” 

 “You've got several minor cuts and a bruised shoulder. Other than that, you should be fine,” the head paramedic said as he placed a bandage on the last cut on Olivia's shoulder. 

 “Now, do you feel excessive worry?” 

 Olivia rolled her eyes. Here came the twenty questions that always came with her checkups. “No,” she answered firmly, staring at a poster on the wall like it was the one answering questions.

 The doctor continued asking questions - all of which were answered with an indifferent ‘no’. And then came the ultimate question. The answer that could mean the difference of life and death. 

 “Have you even taken your medicine, Miss Rogers?” 

 “Nope,” Olivia said just as indifferently as before. 

 “And why is that, Miss Rogers?” 

 “Because I'm perfectly fine without them,” Olivia snapped, looking at the doctor with aggravation. She was sick of the questions. She hopped off the hospital bed she was sitting on and shrugged on her jacket. 

 “Are you aware, Miss Rogers, that your anxiety ensures that you're not cleared for the field?” the doctor asked, making Olivia pause. She wasn't allowed to be doing missions? Why wasn't she told that and why had Fury decided to toss her in? 

 She shrugged, though her thoughts were full of anger and confusion. “Maybe you can see if there's a stronger dose I can take? Otherwise, the medicine doesn't work. Now, I have debriefing to get to, and I'm sure it'll be filled with a yelling director, so…” she mocked a salute and sauntered out of the ambulance, a thousand thoughts buzzing through her mind.

* * *

 

 “Rogers, I have half a mind to have your backside court marshaled with the odds against you for the stupid decisions you did today, and for when you broke into our secure files!” Fury vented. He was so angry, you could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. 

 Olivia furrowed her brow. “How did-” 

 “Don't think what you went unnoticed! I have eyes everywhere; ears everywhere! And if you think you can interrupt me, then you got another thing coming.” 

 Olivia blinked a few times before letting out a, “Yes, sir.” 

 “You disobeyed a direct order, and went in without the proper equipment. What you did in there today risked the life of each and every one of those hostages!” Fury paused in the middle of his tirade. He got up from his desk, walked over to the massive windows overlooking everything and stood with his hands behind his back. “And yet, you got five of them out without incident. What you did require guts, Agent Rogers.” 

 It was like Fury did a complete one-eighty. He went from yelling at her until he was red in the face, to the point where he was actually complimenting her. 

 “If you were given more time, I'd like to have thought you would have gotten every hostage out of there. Not many agents take the negotiating approach.” 

 Olivia curtly nodded. “I'd like to have saved the bomber, too. You can't save everyone, I guess.”  

 “He was already dead by the time the bomb went off,” Fury retorted, making Olivia confused. Fury stomped back over to his desk and slid over a Manila folder with a man’s name on the front. Olivia picked it up and flipped it open, seeing an autopsy report. His name was William O’Connor and he was further up in his years. 

 “O’Connor had a kill switch implanted in his brain,” Fury informed, and Olivia looked over the pictures. There were fragments of a tiny, little chip that looked all too familiar, though she couldn't understand why. “Forensics found out that the chip had what seemed to be a wireless connection.” 

 “Someone was ordering O’Connor to hijack the bank? Why?”  

 “We know now that it wasn't for money. But without a functioning chip, we’re clueless.” 

 “So what do I do?” 

 “Glad you asked. We need you to replicate the chip, see if you know anything about it.” 

 “I assume that I have a deadline?” 

 “Course you do. I want it by the end of March. You have three weeks.” 

 Olivia nodded and hugged the file to her chest. “I'll get right on it.” 

 “You better,” Fury said as he watched Olivia walk out of his office. “And Agent?” she turned around once he called her. “Try to tell at least one person when you're about to go negotiate.” 

 Olivia nodded. “Yes, sir.”

* * *

 

 A man in tactical gear walked into the extravagant office. It was decorated with rich, blacks and the occasional red and white could be seen. The smell of wood polish and the gentle piano piece of  _ Moonlight Sonata  _ wafted through the room. 

 “What do you have for me today, Herr Fowler?” a suited man was seated at the desk situated at the back of the room. In his hand he held a stemmed glass filled of German wine. 

 “I'm sure you know Mr. O'Connor failed, Mister Richter,” Fowler said, holding his arms behind his back. 

 “Why, yes. I was the one to give the order for termination,” Richter replied, still with his back facing Fowler. 

 “After scanning the security footage, we have found the girl you mentioned,” Fowler placed the file on the black desk and casually slid it over. Richter turned around and picked up the files of pictures. 

 “What name does she go by?” Richter asked, looking over some pictures that were even take a few weeks ago. The girl in the pictures looked pleased as she stood next to a man - presumably her newfound father. 

 “Rogers. As in Steven Rogers also known as Captain America.” 

 Richter rolled his eyes. “Americans. Uh, no offense Herr Fowler.” 

 “None taken.” Fowler said nonchalantly. 

 Richter inhaled sharply before fully turning around. “I do believe it is time to pay Fräulien Rogers a long overdue visit.”


	15. Chapter 15

**_Chapter 15_ **

  
  


**** Olivia spent her morning a few days later walking Patriot. The puppy was almost back to normal, and her leg was almost fully healed. 

 Olivia was grateful. It was hard to register just how happy her life had been lately. Who else could say that they were the daughter of Captain America, or that they personally knew all of the Avengers, or that they were an Agent of SHIELD and had placed second place in the Science Fair SHIELD held.

 It was...surreal, to say the least. Just a few months ago, she was helpless in an abandoned Facility. Now she was happy and healthy with a family to call her own. It was a small family that only consisted of Steve, but it was a family nonetheless. 

 She took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of rain. Yesterday, it had rained instead of snowed. Winter was over and March was slowly coming up. Olivia loved the Spring. Winter was nice, and all, but fighting robbers and the like in the snow were less than ideal. 

 Yes, Olivia had taken to the crime-busting life. She spent most of her time helping Peter, or Spider-Man, as he more formally liked being called when talking about his Superhero Life. These endeavors often included fighting against crumbling down buildings, robbers, and the list continued for what seemed like miles. Anything that the Avengers were way too skilled in handling was brushed onto the plates of Spider-Man and Miss America (as the press and civilians had officially began calling her). 

 Olivia enjoyed the superhero life. The only thing that she didn't enjoy was the constant, deep wounds she’d receive after small battles. She was soon getting used to treating the gashes she and Peter would receive. Those were less than ideal. 

 Her phone let out a shrill beep, notifying her of a new message from her Dad. She dug her phone out from her satchel to see that Steve had sent the message:  **Meet at usual spot?**

 On Saturdays, Olivia and Steve walked to a homey cafe called the Coffee Bean. Saturday's were the only days Olivia and Steve weren't actually busy with saving the city, or going on missions. It was simply a time for them to walk around and spend time together as a father and daughter. Today, Steve had to report to Fury at HQ, so he had to meet with Olivia just a little later. 

 Olivia fiddled with her scarf and texted back: **Yep. See you in ten :) :) :) :) :) :)**

Steve replied with:  **Alright :D :D :D :D :D :D :D**

Olivia smiled at the text. Oddly enough, Steve loved emojis, especially the smiley ones. It was funny to see how he reacted. Olivia grinned once more before fixing her scarf and walking to where she would meet Steve. 

 On the way to the cafe, Olivia looked around her near the Oscorp building. She spotted Spider-Man sitting on the edge of a building and he waved a hello. Olivia smiled and waved back. She turned around before walking away. 

 “Let's see here, Patriot,” Olivia said as she looked around her. “Two rights and a left? Two lefts and a right? Geez, for being a genius, I sure can be directionally challenged.” 

**You do know you have that interview today, right?** Another text from Steve made Olivia groan. There was an interview and a press conference today. She forgot all about that. That would explain the odd reason for Pepper wanting Olivia to wear something just a little nicer for a silly little dog walk and Olivia forgot all about it.    

 She sighed, texting:  **That's today???**

**Yes. Today.**

**Ugh. Goodness.**

**...So, no walking today?**

**Sorry, Liv.**

 She sighed. Sometimes she really hated science. It got in the way of things.  **I agreed to it.** Olivia set her phone back into her satchel before stepping into the cafe. She saw Steve sitting in the corner, a coffee cup and a paper bag before him. He wore a blue, collared shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. 

 Olivia inched over and sank into the chair. She fixed her sunglasses so that they would fade  back to original glasses. 

 Steve slid over the two items. 

 “Hi, Dad.” 

 “Hey. You ready for this?” Steve asked, the look in his eyes masked by the aviators he wore. 

  “Only way to find out, I guess,” Olivia mumbled through sips of her Vanilla Bean Mocha. “I mean, it's an interview from one of the world’s greatest scientists. Y’know, besides Osborn, and Stark, and ME, but, hey!” she shrugged.  

 “At least you don't have to worry about saving the whole world,” Steve said with all sincerity before cracking a grin. 

 “Yeah,” Olivia agreed with a nod. “It's just a matter of meeting with the several interviewees for a magazine that several corporation owners are known to read. Yay!” 

 “The life of a scientist,” Steve nodded. 

 “I'm sure you're glad you don't have to deal with that,” Olivia said wryly. She nodded and sipped her coffee before looking in the bag. “An iced lemon pound cake. You really shouldn't have.”

 “You're welcome. We'd better get going,” Steve said before standing. 

 “Yes. Let's,” Olivia nodded and tinted her glasses again. She picked up her coffee and pound cake before following Steve out the door.  

* * *

 

 Olivia walked up to the podium of the press conference. Flash bulbs sounded, followed by several flashes as well. The press conference was held in the conference room of the Waldorf Astoria hotel. 

 Several people could be heard calling, “Miss Rogers!” or “Olivia!” The whole scene was a bit much for her. Olivia shook her head, folded her hands on the podium, and plastered on a smile. 

 “Yes! You in the front with the purple blazer!” Olivia pointed to a woman with a notebook and recorder. 

 “There's speculation of you returning from being missing for...several years! What do you say to that?” 

_ Starting it off with the great questions, aren't we?  _ “Yes, I have indeed heard of my fabled disappearance. As of yet, I am trying to figure out as to why I have been missing all these years. The science of neurology hasn't always been on my side.”

  “And how does your father react to such thing?” 

 Olivia looked nonchalantly at Steve, who stood at the back. He only shrugged. Olivia returned to the mic and said, “No comment.” 

 “What about Miss America? News of your new invention of an Energy Shield has reached the press, and we've even seen the new super sporting said shield!” 

 Olivia smiled. It would be best not to reveal exactly who she was. A genius and a superhero only went well once. She was only a fourteen-year-old, after all. “Miss America is only a colleague of mine. She needed some sort of… Way to defend herself, so I invented the shield.”

 “So when you say colleague, do you know exactly who she is?” 

 “Sorry, I don't think she would want that disclosed,” Olivia answered somewhat nonchalantly.

 “What is it like to be a genius, and to be so young?” 

 “I have to admit, I do get a lot of odd stares whenever I mention my IQ. It's just something I'm used to. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a part of me.” 

 “Who can you say you're the most grateful for? You've had to deal with quite an interesting family. Could you also tell us who you idolize?” 

 She stopped to think. “That's an excellent question! Thank you for asking that! As for who I'm grateful for, I would have to say my little circle of friends. I tend to be very introverted and they broke that. I idolize, and at the same time am the most grateful for my dad. If he hadn't adopted me, even, I don't think I would be here today. His influence, even if it's been for just the short span of almost two months now, has had an astounding work on my life.

 “Now Steve - Dad - He's Captain America. He's brave, and he's kind, and…smarter than you could ever give him credit for. But the one thing that makes Dad special, is that he'll never give up on you. And I can assure you that in the short time of me staying at the Tower, there were plenty of times where he was so close to giving up on me. 

 “But… He’ll never, EVER give up on you. He’ll be there for you, no matter what. And yeah… Dad isn't a genius, but he's great, and that's all that matters. I hope that I can, someday, be even half the person he is now,” Olivia assured, then continued searching for the next question. Maybe she could get used to this sort of thing. 

 The father and daughter duo drove back to the Tower after the conference, silence taking over any conversation they struggled to have.

 “Did you plan on saying that?” Steve asked, suddenly breaking the silence. 

 “...Yeah.” Olivia nodded, writing down the questions she needed to think more about. “I've noticed that you don't really get enough recognition. Figured it would be better if they heard it from the genius. I didn't know why I said it; you were just the first person to pop into my mind when the question of idolizing surfaced.” 

 Steve nodded. “Fury talked to me about your stupid move with the documents.”

 Olivia only cringed. 

 “I want you to know that you could have asked. I know I wasn't there at the time, but I was still somewhat available for talking when I was coming home.” 

 “And if you said it was better that I didn't know?” 

 “Then I would be giving you the honest truth, Liv. If it's better for you to not know, then that's it. You uncovered those things about yourself, and that was a good thing. The redacted document? Not so much,” Steve turned to look at Olivia with complete seriousness and sincerity in his expression. 

 “You only need to ask. I know I'm new to this whole dad thing, but the only way that it's gonna be better is participation from both people. ‘Kay?” 

 Olivia nodded. “‘Kay.” 

 Steve nodded as well. “Good. ...Do you remember anything?” 

 “Small things,” she admitted. “One of the larger things that I remember is that I worked in a Facility. It wasn't the same Facility I was found in. But I worked in it, and I worked with a German neurologist. His name was-” 

 Before she could finish her sentence, a large delivery truck rammed in the side of the SUV that Steve and Olivia were in. The truck continued to ram into the SUV, sending it through a nearby warehouse and leaving it there. The SUV skidded a little before coming to a full stop. 

 Olivia let out a groan before checking around her. Steve was still conscious as he tried to unbuckle his seat. Patriot was in the back seat with her paws covering her head. 

 “Dad?” Olivia squeaked out, her voice sounding like a small child who lost its mother. 

 “Get out of the car!” Steve ordered before men in tactical gear and large guns climbed out of the truck and began rapidly firing at the car. Olivia did as her father told her and nearly fell out of the car. She dug around in her satchel in search of her gauntlet while Steve retrieved his shield and Patriot from the back seat. 

 Olivia fumbled with the gauntlet before shoving it onto her wrist. She activated it with shaking hands before covering her head with the shield. Steve threw his shield at a group of two men. The shield knocked them over before bouncing back. Olivia rummaged through her satchel, retrieving two disk-like object and tossing them to the floor. She jumped behind the car, and Steve followed her move. 

 The bombs imploded on impact with the floor, swallowing up pieces of rock before exploding and spreading more rock and fire everywhere. 

 Steve looked up to see that the men in tactical gear were either unconscious, or fainted from the third degree burns they received. 

 “They'll have more coming,” Steve said as he walked around to the other side of the car that was crunched in. 

 “Can we take a guess on just who those people are?” Olivia wiped the blood from her nose. 

 “The people from that Facility?” Steve guessed. 

 “Yeah. Must have discovered me through the news. I'm everywhere now,” Olivia ran a hand through her hair. “What do we do?” 

 “Run back to the Tower. It's the safest thing we can do for now.” 

 Olivia sternly nodded, wiping the blood from her nose as best as she could before grabbing Patriot’s leash from where it was dragging on the ground. She deactivated her shield, and tiptoed over to the now gaping hole in the warehouse. Steve did the same, making sure to hide his shield so the two could remain on the down low. 

 “Splitting up will make it easier to pick us off,” Steve reminded with a mutter. 

 “Yay. Being followed,” she said wryly before making a face. “So we're work up to the Tower and lose them. And then?” 

 “Talk to Fury; let him know we're being followed by…whoever was in charge of you.” 

 “Right,” Olivia nodded, swallowed, and concentrated on the task of heading to the Tower safely.

* * *

 

 “Hey, Liv. I just have to get this information delivered to Fury, and then we’re all set,” Steve said through the phone. 

 Olivia huffed. “Well hurry up! I don't want to be kidnapped. And I'm running out of homework,” she looked down at her Holotable Diagram and huffed again. The car was locked, but being rammed into by a truck wasn't a comfort. It just made her more paranoid. 

 “I'll be right there, Liv. You still have your shield, right?” Steve said but Olivia could practically hear the worried tone in his voice. 

 “Yeah, but that's not the point. These people are scientists; they can break into cars without even lifting more than one finger. I have my shield, but...” Olivia nervously said before saying goodbye and hanging up. She looked up in order to put on some calming music, then gasped to see a man with blonde hair, sitting in the back seat. Olivia only saw the man from the rearview mirror and she did not want to turn around. Two muscly men in black suits stood by the car as they held their arms in front of them. 

 “Miss Rogers,” The blonde-haired man greeted. “My name is Nathan Richter.”

 “I know who you are,” Olivia spat, narrowing her eyes at the rearview mirror.

 “Excellent! Then I assume you have adjusted to life outside of Facility. I see your accent has gone.” 

 “I see the same has happened to you. I'd rather not talk like a Nazi all the time, thanks,” she said wryly. 

 “Ah, yes. Your father is what many people called the...American Dream. I wonder how he would react should someone tell him that his daughter is not at all what she seems.”

 Olivia looked away, a sad gaze in her eyes. “He doesn't need to know,” she answered, the returned to the rearview mirror. “I don't appreciate you crashing in. Why not just kidnap me when I was alone, like at school, or in the Tower. Why are you here and what do you want?” 

 “The same thing as you, Miss Omega. A means to an end.” 

 “What's that supposed to mean? My ‘means to an end’ is to actually live with you PEOPLE constantly looming over me.” 

 “And mine is the information that you conducted while under my care.” 

 Olivia arched a brow. The energy information. She didn't want to give over something that had taken her years to complete. “What do you want with information I don't have anymore?” she lied. She couldn't give him the information, especially since she knew what he was capable of. 

 “I'm sure you know the answer, Miss Omega.” 

 “The sense of peace,” Olivia answered, worry knotting her forehead. 

 “I see you are familiar with such a sense,” Richter answered as he shifted in his seat. “You see, Miss Omega, you are…more knowledgeable than most people give you credit for.” 

 She scoffed and muttered: “Tell me something I don't know.” 

 “I'm sure you can easily recall the work you successfully conducted. Now…, the Files?” 

 “I can't just recall information that easily. I'd have to go to...several mind palaces; search for information. That's what's happens when you practically have the universe floating around in your head.” 

 Richter curtly nodded and the passenger’s car window rolled down. One of the suited men roughly grabbed Olivia’s wrist and slapped on a metal bracelet.

 “A detonation device. The one you created, along with a few of my people’s designs. You may try to destroy it, but that only decreases your time. You have until the end of the week.” 

 Olivia stared disgustedly at the bracelet. “One question,” she said before gulping loudly. “What happened to Mr. Bakshi?” 

 “Bakshi?” Richter looked intrigued. “He left my side several years ago. Something about a ‘higher calling’. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten you, Miss Omega. Are you prepared to comply?”

 Without another word, Richter and the two suited men left, leaving no trace except for the bracelet stuck on Olivia’s wrist. 


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chapter 16_ **

  
  


Natasha came into the lab one day with a cardboard box in her arms. Loud Trans-Siberian Orchestra music flooded in through the speakers in the lab. 

 “Jarvis?” Natasha rolled her eyes. 

 “Understood, Ms. Romanoff,” Jarvis said, and the music cut off. 

 Olivia immediately whipped around stared at Natasha as she glared metaphorical daggers at the woman. “Hey! Rule Number One of my area; no turning off music for anything!” 

 “Hello, to you too, Liv,” the woman greeted the girl, who sat at a table, working on a pair of fingerless gloves that were going to be connected to her communications watch. 

 Patriot was sleeping on a nearby spinny stool with a little hedgehog resting between the puppy’s two front paws. 

 “Hi,” Olivia grumpily returned the greeting when she returned to her work. Today Natasha and Olivia were the only ones in the Tower. The others either had missions or work to attend to, or had to report to HQ. 

 “What you been doing?” Olivia articulated each syllable as she fixed a few dendrotoxin tablets in a dispenser on her gloves. 

 “Marathoning Criminal Minds. It's a good thing to do when you have absolutely nothing to do.” Natasha answered. In truth, she was actually interrogating Doctor Richards, but Natasha’s efforts were fruitless thus far. She had decided to take a break, and look through the box of stuff they had found on her and Steve’s week-long mission. 

 “Found these on the latest mission. Y’know, the...quest in searching for a lead on your background. Took some time for them to be cleared. They were found in a locker labeled ‘Hale’; thought it'd interest you.”

 “Oh, cool,” Olivia said, still focusing on her watch. Natasha furrowed her brow and looked over Olivia’s shoulder. 

 “What're you doing that's more important than finding out about your background?” 

 “Anything, really,” Olivia mumbled, closing one eye to concentrate. The splitting headache had returned when she had her little run in with Richter just a few days ago. She looked at the thin bracelet on her wrist. It had been three days ago when she had been visited by Richter. She only had four days left. 

 Olivia sighed, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands after she threw down the silver and black handled screwdriver. Whatever was necessary for her to not think about her impending doom was great, but the splitting headache was just a reminder. 

 Where did she have those original files? What would happen if she asked SHIELD for help? Would she be without an actual hand if she didn't agree to giving over the files? 

 She pushed away from the table and slid back on the wheeled chair. The box quickly gained her interest, so she wheeled over and looked at the box. 

 “And you said you found this in the lab you discovered?” Olivia rooted through the box. She found a broken picture frame. The picture inside was of a family of three. The mother and father had brown and blonde hair respectively. They were both smiling as the father held a little girl of five in his arms. The little girl was smiling widely. 

 “Is this you?” Natasha walked up to Olivia and looked at the picture she held. 

 Olivia gulped. “It WAS me. Whatever happened made me different. Just what that was, well… I'm still trying to figure that out,” Olivia set down the broken picture frame before looking around in the box again. There were several thick notebooks, a glasses case with a pair of crushed glasses inside. The most intriguing thing at the bottom of the box was a gold chain with a matching pendant. The pendant was intricately decorated. 

 “Is any of it useful?” Natasha seemed disinterested as she fiddled with a bunch of stuff in a box. 

 “Huh,” Olivia hummed before jamming the necklace in the back pocket of her jeans. She swiped the box off the counter and into her arms. “Nothing that I can see so far,” she rushed out of the lab with the box in her arms while Patriot followed closely behind. 

 “Hey, where are you-” 

 “My room!” Olivia cut off Natasha as she yelled. Olivia ran to the elevator, and once inside, she asked to be taken to the condo floor. Jarvis complied and sooner than later, Olivia found her way to her room. Patriot jumped onto the big bed before beginning to drift off again. The puppy was out in a matter of minutes. 

 “Hey, Jarvis? Can you get the room a little brighter?”

 “Will do, Miss Olivia.” 

 “And can you play… Oh, I don't know, how about something calming, like piano music,” she marched over to the black bookshelf in the corner of the room and pushed it to the side.  _ Claire de Lune  _ calmly filtered in. Olivia kicked over the box of stuff, digging the necklace from her back pocket and latching it around her neck. She then took the broken picture from the spot on the floor and pulled out the picture. 

 With some tape found in her desk, she taped up the picture in the middle of the empty wall space and stepped back to observe. 

 She needed to empty her brain. Anything and everything about her past needed to be shown. Seeing the information helped. 

 And it all started with her and her family. 

 Now she needed information on herself. She bit her lip, then walked over to where her desk was situated. Using a StarkPad, and a wireless printer she was provided, she began printing. Anything about herself, or information on her parents, or even information on Richter was printed. With sticky notes, she wrote things like ‘ _ What does neurology have to do with this? _ ’ and she linked important events and people with red yarn. 

 In the box, there were notes. Notes on how the brain worked, which parts of the brain were used the most, and even notes on experiments involving the brain. These intrigued her, as well as fascinated her. She placed them on the wall between pictures of her mother and father and Richter. 

 Her mother and father were scientists, so they had to have at least known Richter’s work. 

 Olivia went missing around the time she was five, after solving a dispute with the German Parliament. This solving of a dispute must have had something to do with her disappearance. 

 She wasn't found again until she was thirteen, so she was off of the radar for eight years. She must have been placed underground, working, or...whatever she was doing. 

 In 2008 to 2009, the stock market mysteriously crashed. Maybe it was a wild goose chase, but she wouldn't take chances. If she had been missing for seven years, well, anything could have happened. 

 There was no information or news about her suddenly graduating college. The PhD she had been given must have been expertly faked. She wasn't going to tell SHIELD that. 

 She found only two missing posters; one when she was first missing, and one when she was assumed to be eight-years-old. So her parents did look for her, only to give up a year before she was actually found. Olivia wondered what ever happened to them. 

 The information about that chip found in O’Connor’s brain was added as well. It seemed to be just too familiar to be coincidence. 

 Richter had been as busy as ever, gaining his own title in the group of famously known neurologists. Just who he worked for was completely unknown, but there was a presence of a benefactor. Supplied resources, as well as countless studies that all involved the brain. He was ever present in the real world, while Olivia had remained hidden. 

 The whole plethora of facts had extended onto two walls. Blue and red webs of yarn stretched in varying lengths of tendrils. All of them led straight back to the picture in the middle. The happy looking trio were a ghost of a memory; something that Olivia would need to fight to remember. 

 She looked at the silver bracelet that hung from her wrist. She would need to face this sooner or later. 

 She looked back up at the map of facts and information. This was something she would need to solve before presenting the ordeal to her father. Call it a bad habit, but she needed to figure this for herself. Olivia felt that that was the best things to do. And maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but… She needed to know. 

 A knock sounded on the door. 

Olivia snapped her head to where her door was situation. “Just a minute,” she said, returning her bookshelf to where it originally stood and piled up pillows and blankets to cover the rest of the map. She threw herself onto the floor, sprawled out spread-eagle as she rested her hands on her stomach and looked up at the ceiling. 

 “Yeah,” Olivia muttered, smoothing out her brown hair that pooled around her head. 

 Steve nudged open the door and came in with two dishes in hand. 

 “Nat said you hadn't come down from your room since she gave you a box of stuff. I thought you'd like some food,” he said, then stopped to look at his daughter, who was still laying on the floor. 

 Olivia craned her neck to look at Steve. “What?”

 “That must be one interesting ceiling,” he stopped to listen to the music that still gently played. “ _ Clair de Lune? _ ” 

 “Yeah,” Olivia stirred herself from off the ground and sat cross-legged in front of Steve. “It helps me think. I need to do that sometimes. So! What's on the menu for today, Master Chef?” 

 Steve cleared his throat and stood a little taller. “Today, we have an excellent, sautéed chicken, covered in mushroom sauce and place on top of a bed of white rice. For the father and his daughter, of course.”

   It wasn't often that all of the Avengers are together; they were fortunate enough to talk to each other on a daily basis. So they normally vegged on tv dinners, or made something for themselves. Steve normally cooked for himself and Olivia, especially after she had attempted in blowing up the kitchen after forgetting to put water when she was cooking noodles. That certain event was always brought up by Tony when Olivia even just stepped into the kitchen. 

 Olivia laughed. “That sounds exceedingly fancy, my good gentlemen! I propose we shall have a taste! What do we have to drink?” 

 “Uh…” Steve looked at the two cans of soda he had first found in the fridge. “Looks like Lemon Tea. That's all that's in there.” 

 “Great!” Olivia smiled. Steve seated himself next to Olivia and passed her her plate, as well as the can of tea and a fork. Olivia dug in. 

 “So how was school?” Steve asked. 

 “Good,” Olivia spoke with her mouth full. “You know, the normal school day. Ummmm… Since the incident with the, uh, document, I haven't been able to use a Holotable without a teacher in the same room as I am. But, in History, we finally got to when the SSR was founded. It's pretty cool.” 

 “Is it?” 

 “Yeah. I seem to be the only person in the class who hasn't heard about the stuff in History. Everything's new to me and everyone else doesn't seem to care,” Olivia mumbled more to herself. “What about you? You seemed a little busy today.” 

 Steve shrugged and shook his head. “I tried to get more information on those people who crashed into us a few days ago. There's nothing. Though, I will say that you're all the talk in HQ.” 

 Olivia rose an eyebrow at the statement. 

 “You're first mission? Seems like it affected quote a lot of people.” Steve said, a twinkle of pride in his eyes. 

 “That would explain why everyone in Sci-Tech were looking at me weirdly… Again.” 

 “Some of the younger agents seemed to be particularly interested in ‘Miss America,’” Steve smirked at the name before looking at Olivia. 

 “Should I stop being a ‘vigilante’?”

 “Vigilante? No, I don't like you should stop, necessarily. Just… Be careful. You seem to take care of quite a lot of dangerous things. But you have some help, though. Who's this Spider-Man guy?” 

 She shrugged. “Just a teenager with spider-like abilities. He needs help, so I help. I don't know if I actually HELP. I'm like Clint, you know?” 

 Steve grinned and nodded. “In a way. If I find you risking your life on way too many occasions, I'll have to cut you off. I would appreciate my daughter being alive and well. Remember-”

 “Captain America would charge in their despite the possibility of death,” Olivia rose both eyebrows as she looked at Steve. He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. She DID have a point. 

 Olivia smiled wryly. “Yep. And so, his daughter can be expected to do the same. Because it is the morally right thing to do, and if I didn't do so, I'd be disrespecting not only you, but my own country. Which, if you think about it, isn't true, because…” she trailed off, not wanting Steve to hear the rest. She shook her head. The question had been plaguing her since Richter had demanded the release of the energy information. 

 She gulped and looked at Steve. Not even the smallest sense of jest could be found in her expression. “Dad?” 

 “Yeah, Liv?” 

 “Uh...quick and weird question: How do you feel about Germans?” 

 “How do I feel about Germans?” Steve narrowed his eyes at the repeated question. He set down his plate and hummed in the thought. “Is this about your previous family?” 

 Her bright blue eyes widened. “How'd you-” 

 “I'm your Dad, Liv. I think I shouldn't let a little thing like having a German heritage would stop me from caring for you. Besides, you don't seem like the Hydra type of person,” Steve grinned, though the look in his eyes looked like some type of hurt, like just the mention of Hydra set off some sort of saddened trigger in the back of his mind. Olivia could relate to that. A smile quickly split Steve’s face. 

 “But, maybe if you tried hard enough, you could unleash...the beast,” Steve poked Olivia in the stomach. The girl, who was looking deep in thought, was caught off guard. She simply looked at Steve with a blank stare before poking his shoulder. 

 “It's gonna take a lot more than that to release the beast,” she giggled. 

 “Oh, yeah?” Steve smirked. Olivia took this opportunity to back away as quickly as she could. 

 “No! No, I take it back! That was just enough!” she giggled wildly as Steve jumped up from his spot and scooped Olivia up into a bear hug.

 “Ack! Dad! I… I need to breath!” Olivia struggled to speak as she stood, engulfed in Steve’s hug. Steve chuckled to himself as he finally let Olivia go. The girl laughed and punched her Dad’s shoulder, though it seemed to barely make a difference. “Jerk,” she teased, making sure to add a wide smile on the end to show that she wasn't at all serious. 

 “Punk,” Steve teased, smiling back. He gathered up the plates and silverware, for the two were quickly done with their meal, before walking to the door. Olivia helped, but then loudly whispered: “The beast has awaken! Everyone, secure themselves in their homes! Where is the Dragonslayer with his Black Arrow?!” 

 “Oh, you're Smaug now?” Steve mused. 

 “Just about the best dragon out there,” Olivia stated, her chin held high. She giggled when Steve playfully nudged her shoulder. Her smile disappeared, though, when she looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. Just how would she face that threat?

* * *

 

 The next day, the Avengers had to resort to a problem with a bombing in a nearby building. Olivia, who had been at the Tower after school, flicked through a number of channels. She huffed after realizing that there was nothing good to watch.

 So she decided to investigate the Tower. It's what she would do when she was bored, and right now she was bored. 

 Bruce had mentioned something being in the basement, so she would start there. 

 “Uh… Basement, Jarvis.” 

 “ _ My apologies, Miss Olivia, but you are not allowed access to the basement. _ ” 

 “Why not?” Olivia asked. 

 “ _ It a part of my protocol, Miss Olivia. _ ” 

 “Ugh, fine,” Olivia growled.  She'd have to do this the hard way. She stomped out of the elevator and towards the door that led to the stairs. So many flights of stairs… 

 Her legs burned after climbing, but at least she could have given a probable explanation for a good workout. Olivia headed to a hall in the basement before deciding to use the first door. 

 But it was locked. 

 She huffed and dug into her back jean pocket, retrieving a little bug device that she had ‘liberated’ from Tony’s never-ending collection of…stuff. It would work in secret, and Jarvis would only be aware of its presence a few minutes after Olivia would already be in the room. She would most likely get in trouble, but- well, it wasn't like she was breaking into a bank. 

 The girl casually strolled into the room after the door was finally unlocked. Tony had said once before that the interrogation room was in one of the lower level, in the basement. She guessed she was right, after all. But if a convict, or something of the like was in here… 

 That, in itself, would be a whole other story. Olivia stared inquisitively at the wall. She wondered if it could keep back a mentally insane, or creepy villain. She grabbed the tablet sitting on a smaller, metal table and tapped the button reading ‘SCREEN’. The wall that was originally there dissolved, showing the small, confined room. 

 It only had a cot with white, starchy looking bedsheets. The other thing that it had in it was a woman who looked in her mid-forties. The grey streaks in her brown hair seemed to multiply since Olivia had last seen her. The woman was barefoot and wore a boring looking blue smock and matching, baggy pants. 

 She looked like she was expecting someone, but then backed away, her steely blue gaze filled with surprise. 

 Olivia stopped and stared in disbelief. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The words were caught in her throat. She backed away, her mouth forming a wide ‘O’ as she still stared. It was her aunt. The aunt that was in the Facility with her. The aunt that had been one of her assigned handlers. 

 “I can't believe it. You're… You're alive!” Richards said, a ghost of a smile inching onto her thin face. Her eyes were still filled with surprise. 

 Olivia turned away, letting out a quavering breath, the tablet still in her hands. She turned back around, breathing heavily and with her breath shaking like a leaf in a gusting wind. Olivia steadied herself by leaning against the table. 

 Richards remained silent.

 Olivia shook her hands in some sort of coping mechanism as her eye twitched madly. 

 “I know...that I have done some terrible things to you, and your family, but I want to let you know, that it is great seeing you.” 

 Olivia fell into the chair, her breath still shaking and her eyes wide with fear. Scenes of previous encounters with Richards flashed behind Olivia’s eyes. She held her head in her hands and set her elbows on her knees. The memories… They hurt horribly. They hurt her mind. 

 “Olivia?” Richards asked the girl sitting before her. “Honey, are you-”

 “Don't try that with me!” Olivia growled out the words as she cut off her aunt. She kept her head in her hands as she felt tears stream from her eyes. “Don't think an ‘I've done some terrible things’ is an actual excuse to start talking to me like I'm your family!” 

 She wrung her shaking hands and sat up in the chair before running her fingers over her wrinkled forehead. Olivia attempted to calm her anxiety down before speaking up, saying, “Make it stop.” 

 “Make what stop?” Richards was confused.

 “IT! The noise, the—the constant ringing in my head! The need to always…always be doing something with science and math! Make it all stop!” the girl’s voice rose to a yell. 

 Richards shook her head, “I can't.” 

 “Of course you can! You took it away when...when you were trying to ‘make me better’!” 

 “That was because you'd constantly fought me, honey.” 

 “Don't call me that!” Olivia demanded, pinching her nose in disgust. “You did it before, and you can do it again.”

 “I can't! I don't have the things I need! Your parents knew more about it! They knew what to do! I was only present for-” 

 “For what? Because I've been searching all over for the thing that you did to me, but there is no record!” 

 “I… I can't tell you,” Richards answered hesitantly. 

 “Tell me!” Olivia pleaded. 

 “I can't!” 

 “Tell me, or… Or, I'll cut off your oxygen!” 

 “Then I won't be able to tell you anything!”

 “Serves you right! Now, tell me!!!” the girl threatened, holding her finger just a few millimeters above the oxygen meter. Richards remained silent, so Olivia clicked the button, hearing the hiss of the oxygen being filtered out of the cordoned off area. 

 Richards struggled to breathe. “Olivia...please...don't do this!” 

 “What did you do to me?!?” 

 “Fine! ...Fine! I'll...tell you! Just put the...the oxygen back into the room,” the woman pleaded in between sharp inhales. 

 “Do you promise?”  

 “Yes! ...Yes!” 

 Olivia did so after giving only a second of thought. Richards stood, slowly letting air back into her lungs. Olivia stared at her aunt expectantly. 

 “The man… The man who put that bracelet on your wrist was your first handler. Your parents agreed, since you were a genius already, to give you over to a higher cause when you were of a proper age. The cause…was inhuman. Throughout the years, it was given as an assignment to keep the… Brains of the world’s brightest minds; Mozart, Einstein, people like that. They wanted to place them all into one person to make them the smartest asset in the world. They called it Omega; the Project To End All Problems. 

 “Since you were already a genius, you were ideal. So you were experimented on, given the highest thinking skills of any known individual ever. To keep you out of what we thought to be the wrong hands, you were kept underground, and worked from the shadows. When history didn't cooperate, history was changed.”

 “...The Stock Market Crash,” Olivia whispered dazedly, her eyes wide with shock. She stared off into space, the memories screaming to be recalled. 

 “Yes, but… There were complications. Your handlers treated you like a caged animal, electrocuting you when you didn't comply. You fought the control, so they had to call in a skilled person-” 

 “Sunil Bakshi.”

 “Yes. He became Richter’s right hand man until he left just last year to help with another dedicated man. You eventually complied, but we're still punished. It lead to… PTSD, anxiety, and unbeknownst to me, a problem that involved it being impossible to not do anything that didn't involve some sort of math or science. I was brought in to help, but nothing would help.” 

 “Why can't I remember anything of this?” Olivia asked, tears cascading down her face. She wiped away her tears and sniffled, looking at Richards with a mixture of hatred and sadness. 

 “We eventually had to...wipe you. Get rid of your memories so that you wouldn't have had to fight for anything. It worked with a previous subject, so it would have worked with you. But, to do something like that, to just a nine-year-old, was unfathomable. You were sickly; pale; always staring off into space; functioning like a...robot. 

 “When you were ten, you were stolen from the Facility. Whatever happened after that, well… I wouldn't know.” 

 The girl swallowed loudly, still needing to process the information. She could deal with being heartbroken later, her thoughts were still fighting to be freed. Olivia clutched the tablet in her hands until her knuckles turned white. She pointed to her head. “Do you know, that if I'm not reading, or solving equations, or researching, that my brain sends me shooting pains that feel ten times worse than migraines! You know what it feels like!? It feels like someone is furiously stabbing your brain!” 

 “That was intentional! Richter wanted to make sure you were always busy doing what he wanted you to do! He made sure that if you didn't, you'd know that what you were doing was wrong! I only assisted with that part!” 

 “You made me like this?!” 

 Richards swiftly searched around the room. “Where's Rogers?” 

 “Dad? He's gone with the other Avengers! They're off to stop a bombing! And I should be there, helping them! But I'm not because your stupid experiment left me with massive anxiety and health issues! That's not what family does!”

 Richards stood before Olivia and calmly let out a breath. “Olivia? Take a deep breath. Calm your mind. Your compliance will be rewarded.”

 It was like a switch was suddenly flipped. Olivia’s mind was emptied, with the only thing or memory that was to be found were those of equations or lectures.

 The girl shook her head and the good memories returned. “No! You can't do that to me anymore!” 

 “Olivia. You know what is best. What is best is you comply. Compliance will be-” Richards was cut off when Olivia replaced the screen separating the two. The girl marched to the door as she stared off into space. She couldn't handle the massive amounts of information that she was just now forced to intake.

 All she knew is that she needed to find out just who was in charge of making her the monster she was.

 She tiptoed to her room and was immediately met by Patriot. The puppy enthusiastically wagged her tail as she stuck out her tongue. 

 “Not now, Pat,” Olivia said as she marched over to her closet and began throwing dark clothes into a backpack. Patriot whined, then decided to grab Olivia’s pant leg to hinder her owner from leaving. 

 “Pat, I have to go,” Olivia pushed away the puppy with her foot. The puppy persisted in stopping Olivia. The girl only ignored as she finally gathered up a few snacks that she had snuck from the kitchen downstairs when she was working on her information map. She didn't take her suit, or her crossbow, or not even her gauntlet. 

 Patriot barked in protest. 

 “Pat. Stop it.” 

 Patriot pursued. Olivia groaned, then stomped off to exit her room and find a way from the Tower. Patriot barked and stood in front of Olivia, refusing to let her leave. Olivia choked out a sob as she knelt in front of Patriot. She scooped up the puppy, giving it a tight hug. 

 “Please tell Dad and the group I love them. I may not make it out alive after this,” Olivia sniffled. 

 Patriot whimpered, scrambling to try to stop Olivia from leaving. The girl let go of her puppy, wiped away her tears, and strode out the door. She shouldered her backpack, threw the hood of her jacket over her head and proceeded to walk out of the Tower. 

 Now was the time for a few more answers. 


	17. Chapter 17

**_Chapter 17_ **

  
  


**** Upon further exploration, Olivia discovered that the building Richter owned was in New York. The building, known as the One57 Building, was located on the other side of New York, and would require quite a lot of walking. 

 She walked down the sidewalk of a busy street, a red baseball hat covering her face and a hood pulled up over that. Did she looked like she lived under a bridge? Absolutely. That was the goal. As long as she got to the building in one piece, her plan, or the lack thereof could roll into action.

 Olivia couldn't just step onto the front door. She planned to take the back, disguise herself as a scientist, and maybe - just maybe - see what Richter had accomplished. 

 The small energy samples and all information concerning her work with the energy were at the bottom of her backpack. If anything went wrong, she decided that the energy findings would be used for leverage. 

 The plan was sketchy, and it might not even work, but she was willing to take the risk. Olivia expected that she wouldn't make it out in one piece. If she got on Richter’s bad side, then there was absolutely no way she make it out without being tortured. 

 But… Maybe she was fine with that. Maybe, just maybe, that this would happen, despite her efforts to avoid the problem. Telling her dad - Steve about it wouldn't be the best plan. He would fight; he wouldn't give up easily. It just wasn't in his nature. 

 Did that mean she was supposed to fight? ...No. Olivia would walk into that building expecting death. And if they kept her captive, believing her to be of use to them, then she would resist. Either way, she would expect death. 

 It was best. Her life... her sick, twisted life... all the things that had been done to her. She could be taken advantage of; she probably had already been. That way, if she did this, she wouldn't have to worry about her being used to further any more terrible causes. 

 There were worse ways to go. At least she didn't leave Steve on a bad note.

* * *

 

 The Avengers returned to the Tower after solving the problem with the bombing. All of them, besides Tony, whose armor was massively scratched and dented, had major wounds. 

 Pepper sat at the kitchen counter, working on more business things. Once she saw the state of the group, she gasped. 

 “What happened?” Pepper asked, looking at the group with wide eyes. 

 “C-4.” Natasha winced. “Lots of it.” 

 “Would have been great if we could have Egghead help.” Tony said, using his newfound nickname for Olivia. He stepped out of his suit and gave it the command to go to the lab to be fixed. He looked around the room, only to find the absence of the teenaged genius. 

 Clint noticed this as well, saying, “Speaking of which, where IS Liv?” 

 “...I haven't seen her even when I get home.” Pepper said, looking around her. “I assumed she was busy in her room, or in the lab, so I didn't want to disturb her.” 

 “I'll go check her room,” Steve said, despite the fact that the cut on his shoulder was dripping blood down his arm. 

 “We’ll check the lab,” Clint said as he, and Natasha walked towards the lab. 

 “Thor, can you check the roof?” Steve asked and the blonde god nodded. 

 “Banner and I will check the security cameras; make sure nothing bad happened before Pep came home,” Tony said as he and Bruce walked back into the elevator. 

 Steve nodded before walking to the hall that lead to the rooms. He quickly found Olivia’s room and knocked. Silence ensued, so Steve tried to open the door, only to find that it was locked.

 “Liv? Are you in there?” Steve asked, but was met with a muffled bark from Patriot. 

 “Jarvis, can you unlock the door?” 

 “ _ I'm afraid not, Mr. Rogers. There is a stand-alone device on the door that is refusing any of my commands. _ ” 

 Steve furrowed his brow. What was Olivia up to? He proceeded to break the doorknob and force his way inside. Patriot bolted up to the super soldier. The puppy whined before bolting over to the bookshelf standing in the corner. 

 “Where's Liv, Patriot?” Steve looked around the room. The puppy scratched at the bookshelf, whining all the while. Steve wandered over to the bookshelf, seeing that several pieces of paper were sticking out from behind the bookshelf. He easily pushed the bookshelf to the side, seeing an extensive map of information that was spread out onto the two corner walls. Patriot snatched up one cut out news article in her mouth before walking it over to Steve. The paper clipping read ‘Brilliant Neurologist Does It Again!’ with a picture of a suited man with blonde hair. 

 “ _ Mister Rogers. Mister Stark wishes to inform you that your presence in the Computer Controls Room would be much appreciated. I am afraid it involves Miss Rogers, _ ” Jarvis cut in. 

 Steve silently nodded, the newspaper clipping still held in his death grip. He walked out of the room with Patriot trailing slowly behind. He and the puppy solemnly walked to the elevator and traveled down to the Controls room. 

 “What have we got?” The super soldier asked as he joined the remaining Avengers. 

 “This,” Tony pointed to one of the security camera screens. The paused footage showed Olivia with her back turned to the camera in the one of the interrogation rooms.  

 “So that's the psychopathic scientist/aunt that's related to Liv?” Clint asked, still looking at the screen. 

 “Apparently, Olivia knows that her aunt’s here now,” Natasha hummed in thought. She took the liberty to skip the recording just a little more. The only things that seemed to change were Olivia sitting, and Richards walking around the area. 

 “Do we have sound?” Steve finally spoke up.

 “Uhhh… Yeah,” Tony smacked a button and a conversation filtered in. The group watched intently, listening. That was, until Clint spoke up, whispering, “Where did she go?”

 “Jarvis recorded Olivia taking a backpack and leaving out the back door twenty minutes after this conversation. The conversation MUST have motivated her to go somewhere. The problem is: we don’t know where, and so far, we don’t know why.”

 Steve smacked down the newspaper clipping, “I have one idea. As for why…” he trailed off, but looked around. His expression was completely calm, but the look in his eyes was a mixture of fear for Olivia and some sort of anger for whatever made Olivia do this. He shook his head, as if doing so would help clear the barrage of thoughts. “Stark, can you, Banner and I go over the security footage? Nat and Clint, can you look for who exactly this guy is? Thor…. I suggest you keep Patriot company.”

 Thor nodded, as if he was given a major responsibility. “I shall care for the small beast,” he walked out of the room with Patriot in tow, though the puppy hesitantly left the room. 

 Steve looked at the rewinding security camera footage with a worried expression. Just where had Olivia gone?

* * *

 

 Olivia finally found an entrance to the building through the back door. The problem was, to unlock the door, one would need a key card. She didn't have a key card. The girl found that she was hiding near the trash are of the back of the building. Cars almost never drove past, and when they did, Olivia would duck into the shadows. The sun was almost setting now. She believed it to be the best time to move. 

 There was a security camera situated near the door. Olivia could attract some attention, and maybe get in by stealing a key card. She looked around her to make sure she wasn't being followed, tiptoed to the back door, and then knocked on the glass. She ran around the corner to hide. 

 After waiting five minutes, she returned to the door and knocked on it again before hiding around the corner. 

 This happened at least three more times before the security guard finally decided to apprehend the little girl who had decided to interrupt his siesta. He stomped from his area at the guard post, walked through the doors and turned the corner. 

 But he was soon met with a trash can lid to the head. Olivia struggled to move the security guard out of the way before swiping his key card, as well as a taser before making her way towards the door. The card reader gladly accepted and she was allowed into the building. Olivia decided that she would need the key card for later, so she stuck the card in her back pocket.

 The back door section was a short hall, except for the entrance leading to the guard post. She must have been somewhere near the basement; perhaps one of the middle floors? The basement would hold most of the ‘dangerous projects’, but there was no way she could get there without being seen by at least another security guard, or one of the personnel. Olivia wished she had at least her Data Analyzer to scope the situation. 

 She took a deep breath. The lockers would have labcoats. Maybe she could blend in that way… Olivia fidgeted with the backpack on her shoulder as she snuck down the hall. She swiped the key card in yet another reader and struggled to open the heavy door. She peeked around the door to see people walking casually by. Most of the people looked like adults. They wore formal wear and some even carried around clipboards and had on lab coats. 

 Olivia popped back into the short hall before adjusting her hoodie and baseball hat to make it seem like she was a highschool student who lost her group when she had to go to the bathroom. She took another deep breath and walked out into the crowd. To her right was a wide bank of windows that overlooked the busy New York streets. To her left was a tall wall filled with different looking x-rays of the brain. Olivia scrunched up her nose at the pictures. From here on out, she was forever scarred of learning of the brain. 

 She kept walking until she could see a large receptionist area. The reception desk stretched from the left to the back, a waiting area was in the middle, and the elevators were at the right. Black, white, and red seemed to be the prominent theme of colors. Olivia continued to look around, looking clueless as ever. She walked over to the receptionist area, crossing her arms over her chest and looking a little nervous. 

 “Um, Hi,” Olivia feigned nervousness as she looked at the receptionist. He looked like he wanted to gouge out his eyes with the black pencils that sat in the cup next to his computer. “Uh, yes. I seemed to have lost my group when I went to the restroom. They said they were going to the labs, but, uh, I don’t know where that is…”

 The receptionist blinked several times before straightening himself in his chair. “Don't they have the buddy system to prevent that?” 

 “...Yeah,” Olivia replied. “But our class has odd numbers, and I'm an introvert, sooooooo….” 

 The receptionist huffed rather loudly. “You take the elevators to the third floor. Walk out, and to the right, then forward. The labs are closed off by swiveling doors.” 

 Olivia smiled widely. “Thanks!” she bounced away and towards the elevators. Once she was inside and the doors were closed, she dropped the silly act and plastered on a straight face. The elevator zipped up to the third floor and the streets of New York could be seen slowly shrinking. 

 “...Miss Omega,” A man’s sudden voice made Olivia jumped. She yelped and turned to face the man. Before her stood Richter. He stood with his arms held behind his back as two men in tactical gear flanked either side of him. Olivia glared hatefully at the man, reaching for the taser that was hidden in her backpack’s side pocket. 

 “I am sure there is no need for rash decisions, Miss Omega. I would appreciate it if you did not knock anyone else out with trash can lids.” Richter held up one hand to ensure that the men in tactical gear who were reaching for the guns holstered to their thighs could know that it was safe for now. “You have come with your energy source, am I correct?”

 “...Yes,” Olivia slowly nodded. She was actually wanting to look around for plans of some sort for whatever Richter was planning to do with her energy source. But she would roll with this. She could look later. Olivia slung the backpack from off her shoulder and passed it to Richter. “All of my findings are in there. The energy source is at the bottom, wrapped in a few shirts. I was in a rush.”

 Richter silently dug the energy source from the bottom. He marveled at the flowing white mass. “It is truly fascinating…” he hummed in thought. After looking at the energy for quite some time, he looked back to the two men flanking him. Richter nodded his head toward Olivia and the men stalked over to her. Olivia sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, fearing that they would begin to pulverize her. Instead, the bigger of the two men said: “Deactivate,” and the bracelet fell off her wrist and landed on the elevator floor with a clatter. 

 “I’m allowed to go?” Olivia sounded skeptical.

 “Not quite,” Richter replied and the men replied by trying to zip-tie Olivia’s wrists together. She resisted before running over to the control panel of the elevator and making the doors open before sending the three men to floor 9. Olivia then stomped her foot on the metal bracelet and rushed as fast as she could out of the elevator. She slid just barely out of the elevator, hearing a tiny beep and a not-so-tiny explosion. 

 Olivia found herself lying on her stomach in the middle of the lab. Some scientists watched with annoyed and some surprised expressions. A picture of Olivia in the press conference could be seen on every console in the lab with the words ‘WANTED’ flashing on the screen. She needed to get out of here.

 The girl jumped from her spot on the floor and bolted to the nearest door. Men in tactical gear poured from the entrance of the lab and bolted over to where Olivia was standing. The girl gulped, then sprinted away as quick as she could. 

 There was a long corridor filled with adjoining rooms that was connected to the lab, so Olivia took that exit. She sprinted down the hall, the pale, yellow lights bouncing up and down as she ran. She only needed to lose the men, and then search through the extensive labs in secret. Then she would surrender.

 Olivia rounded the corner, only to find more men in tactical gear walking briskly down the hall. Olivia caught herself from running, looking in disbelief as she turned around and took the exit door leading into another yet another hall filled with people. The men in gear pursued, even bothering to push away the people who didn’t move when yelled at. 

_  Find the stairs, don’t get caught yet. Find the stairs, don’t get caught yet.  _ Olivia mentally told herself. She didn’t bother looking behind her. That would only slow her down. 

 She rounded another corner and took the door that read ‘STAIRS’. Olivia rushed up the stairs, thankful that these stairs were nothing like the stairs in the Tower. Though the men in gear were still close behind her, she pursued on until she found the door he needed. At least, she believed that it was the door she needed. She threw the door open and ran through the lab, not bothering to look at the odd glances she was receiving. She passed several rooms of which she did not want to know what they were used for. Olivia finally found a door with the biohazard sign painted in condescending, red paint. Next to the door handle was a card reader. But the reader also had a keypad on it. 

 Olivia sharply inhaled before huffing and looking around her. Figuring out the code needed time. She had time, but was it enough?

 There was only one way to figure out…

 She huffed again, trying to remember anything that Richter had said was significant to him. It hurt her head to remember. In order to do this, she needed to clear her mind, but in order to do that, she would need to remember. Olivia didn’t want to remember.  

 No. She needed to. 

 Olivia slowly breathed in and out as she kept her eyes closed. The world around her seemed to slow. Her mind fled to one of her mind castles. There were many. It was necessary for the knowledge she had. The mind castle was more like a corridor of doors. Sometimes, her thoughts would divert themselves to an unrelated topic. This was one of those times. The information Richards had given Olivia was constantly on her mind. It was like she was walking into a room, but then forgetting why she had entered the room in the first place.

 She mentally shook her head and scolded herself to focus. 

 The room of thoughts she needed was at the back of her thoughts. It was something she had stored away to remember later, but found no need to remember it. That was, no need to remember it until now. 

 The memory was of Richter teaching her of her ability to process things. He taught her that there was a reason for why everyone did the things they did and that Olivia would find hers sooner or later. He called it a defining moment. In a fit of curiosity, which Olivia was known for, she asked what Richter’s defining moment. Richter had answered with a date: August the 14th; his father had died from brain cancer. For some reason, Richter was particularly fond of his father. When Richter’s father had died, Richter had promised himself that dying of brain cancer would be a thing of the past,

 She wondered about her defining moment. 

 Olivia shook herself out of her mind castle and quickly punched in the number 0814. The door was unlocked and Olivia barged inside before closing the door behind her. Little did she know about the trip-laser at the foot of the door. She stared around the room, seeing a chemical cabinet at one end of the room and a metal table with several binders on it at the other. 

 She slid open the cabinet and took one lone, glass tube sitting in a mass of nothing. The liquid in the glass tube was a pure white. It didn’t have a label, or a picture on it. Olivia walked over to the table and looked into the binder that looked the most used. The pages were yellowed from years of endless researching. Olivia remembered seeing some of these pages as a littler girl. 

 Words like ‘FAILED’ were scrawled across countless pages. Olivia furrowed her brow at the words like ‘memory loss’ and ‘difficulty speaking’ that were in bolded print and had a box drawn around them. 

 Then, the realization hit her. 

 “This is a-” She was cut off when explosions surrounded the whole room. She threw herself under the table just in time to see a pure, blinding white, and then immediately a pitch black.

* * *

 

 “Search the area!” Steve demanded as countless SHIELD agents combed for Olivia. After seeing the news of an explosion, Steve and the Avengers automatically assumed where Olivia was. The third floor, as well as anything under it, was caught in an explosion. All the Avengers, even Bruce, was helping to find Olivia under the rubble.  

 They had been searching for hours now. It was well into the evening. The Avengers and Steve refused to give up. Even Peter, Arlo, Mercy, and Kai offered to help and were still searching thoroughly. Some SHIELD agents offered their help, but there was no progress on finding the girl. 

 Thor was still taking care of Patriot, but the puppy was squirming in an effort to release herself from the blonde god’s grip. She wanted to help, but could do nothing for her predicament.

 “Liv!” Steve could hear Peter yelling. Apparently, Olivia had made another friend at the Science Fair, and Steve had just learned of this. He was a nice boy, gaping when Clint had introduced him. Peter the proceeded in saying that he was a ‘big fan’, but then remembered the real reason for him being there. 

 “Liv!” Peter yelled again. 

 “PETER PARKER!!!!” A high pitched scream could be heard in German. “SIE SIND DER GRÖßTE IDIOT ICH JE GETROFFEN HABE!!!!”

 Steve looked hopefully towards the direction of the voice. Olivia was still alive. And as soon as SHIELD would be able to get to her, the better.

 Steve and Thor rushed over to where Olivia was last heard. They were stopped by a few SHIELD agents with tablets in their hands. 

 “There are signs of a threatening chemical substance. We believe it would be best if you would stay back, sirs, one of the Agents said with a curt nod. Steve ignored this and charged through, much to the agent’s disapprovals. Thor followed and the two Avengers were quickly pulling rubble from the pile. Olivia could be found under a broken metal table, curled up into a small ball. There were several major cuts and bruises, but she still looked intact. 

 After screaming at the top of her lungs, Olivia must have passed out, for she was still breathing, but she wasn't moving.  

 Steve let out a breath he realized he hadn't been holding. 

 His daughter was safe. 

 Olivia gulped as she looked around her. She was in a glass box that had one entrance that was constantly locked. A few doctors walked around the box and observed the girl’s vitals. Olivia sighed. From watching the clock on the wall, she could see it was around eight o'clock in the morning. 

 The box was situated in the lab section of the Tower. Scientists were constantly walking around her with tablets and face masks, even if they were outside the box. Olivia was lonely. She wondered where the Avengers were. 

 All she could remember was her finding the biohazard room, then going inside, and finding one lone chemical before the room exploded. 

 She blinked a few times, sighed, then plopped onto her side and covered herself with the scratchy blanket. It was best that she should get some sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Chapter 18_ **

  
  


 The problem was, Olivia couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, even covered her face with the pillow, but nothing helped. Olivia groaned and hugged the tiny, flat pillow to her chest before flopping around to her other side. 

 Steve sat in a desk chair, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes open. He looked tired, though it seemed like he was wide awake as well. “I couldn't sleep, either,” he said, rubbing his bleary eyes.

 Olivia hugged the pillow tighter, not bothering to get up until her back screamed in complaint. She huffed and sat up before popping her back a few times. 

 “Yeah,” she began, slouching over. “I keep wanting to walk over to my workspace; make something. But I'm stuck in here. I feel like a lab rat all over again,” her voice cracked. She cleared it and spoke again, saying, “I shouldn't have ever walked into that lab in the first place.” 

 “You did all that you could, Liv. And you prevented a catastrophe from happening,” Steve assured, struggling a smile as he did so. He didn't want to concentrate on her running away. He would ask later, just to see why, but… Not now. 

 “But I didn't prevent a catastrophe. I ran away. The possibility of an epidemic is still there. I...I… I might have it,” she stared off into space and sniffled. 

 “No,” Steve shook his head. “You'll be just fine. I know you, Liv. The medical staff will clear you. Doctor Banner’s positive you'll make it out just fine. You'll be back to your normal self as soon as we find out what happened.”

 Olivia refused to make eye contact as she picked at the bandages wrapped around her shoulder. “Did you hear what Richards said?” 

 “Yeah,” Steve furrowed his brow. 

 “Then you know that I was not, and will never be normal,” she looked away and decided to change the subject. “How is everyone?” 

 “Good. We're just...trying to figure out what to do next. Fury hasn't given us any other order than to sit back and relax. You know I can't do that. Nobody can. Everyone wanted to see you; make sure you're alright… But the Doctor's wouldn't let them in. Tony’s livid that he can't be in his own lab. The only reason I'm here is because we're the only family that the both of us have.” 

 “Thanks…” Olivia said, not even smiling at this point. “Did you ask how long it would take? To get me out of quarantine, I mean.”

 Steve shrugged. “The doctors didn't give me a definite answer. I think they said something between a few days to a few weeks.” 

 Olivia nodded halfheartedly. “Did you find Richter’s body?” 

 Steve shook his head. “We have men participating in manhunts. Whatever lead there is, we’re following it. I was kind of hoping that you'd know of any safe house he had.”

 “No. If I was taken anywhere, I was kept in a metal box with no light and trucked along. I was hardly aware of ever going somewhere because they would even knock me out in order to keep it confidential. Sorry I couldn't help.”

 “Liv, it's okay.” 

 “What?” she asked incredulously and then shook her head. “No. No, it's not! Dad, do you not understand?! We lost!” 

 “Liv-”

She interrupted. “No! We lost! And it wasn't because of Richter; it was because of ME!”

 “You can't blame yourself, Liv.” 

 “If I hadn't be stupid enough to run away and go to that lab and give myself over, then we wouldn't be in this mess!”

 “Olivia-”

 “If I had resisted their control when they first took me, I wouldn't have to have dealt with all of this trash! I would be living a simple life! My parents might have still been alive! I could have been normal! If I had-”

 “Olivia!” Steve yelled and the girl snapped her mouth shut. “You can't blame yourself for everything that's happened! Richter would have still found you, you would have still had all those terrible things happened to you, and you would still be you! Look around you! You're living the best life that you can! You've still got me, you've still got your friends. You can't let Richter take that from you. And if they try, they're going to have to get through me first. 

 “What you did today was something I don't think anybody else could have done, especially with your age and situation! You did good! You delivered a low blow to Richter and while he's crippled, we’ll wipe him out for good. We're not giving up now.” 

 Steve drug a hand through his hair before getting up from his chair and walking away. Olivia hiccupped a sob before trying to sleep again. She lay on the bed, still curled into a small ball. 

 She didn't want the Avengers to have found her. She didn't want to have to explain why she had run away, or just what happened back she was just a little girl. Olivia just wanted to cry. 

 And that's what she did until she had cried herself to sleep.

 The next day, Olivia awoke to see that there were bouquets surrounding the quarantine box she was in. A sticky note on the door read: ‘Snuck these in while you were asleep. The cards are in the items hatch located below this note. It looks like you really got a group who loves you. Hoping you get better. ~Pepper’ 

 Olivia smiled halfheartedly at the note before opening the items hatch to see a little pile of cards that were all held together by a rubber band. Olivia took the cards from the hatch and walked back to her hospital bed. She climbed onto the bed, sat criss-crossed and draped a blanket over her shoulders. 

 She looked through the cards, marveling that Arlo had actually given her an honest to goodness card and even had the audacity to write, ‘Hope you get out of quarantine soon. Hate to not have you back out on the field.’ She laughed at the card, wondering what Arlo and the rest of the group were up to. 

 Olivia continued looking at the cards, seeing a fold out card that could be folded out to the length of the room she was in. Every single SHIELD agent from Grant Ward to Leo Fitz, had at least signed their names. That must have been Agent Hill who had organized such a thing. 

 She spent the next hour reading through every single card until a doctor in a hazmat suit had come in to take a sample of her blood. Olivia ignored the doctor as he worked, and just concentrated on finishing up reading the cards. The doctor then proceeded to ask questions about Olivia’s anxiety, and things she remembered. 

 Olivia hated to remember those things. The way the lack of oxygen felt; how the building was crumbling everywhere around her… Olivia clammed up when the doctor had mentioned those things. The girl nervously wrung her hands, shook her head, and then proceeded to stutter when she tried to talk about those things.  

 The doctor measured, oddly enough, her eye movement and even made Olivia walked around the room and tie her own shoes. Olivia didn't understand why, and it drove her insane. 

 Soon after the doctor left, Olivia was left alone in the glass box. She watched the clock, seeing it go from eight o'clock in the morning (when she was first awake), to twelve o'clock in the afternoon. She had done nothing but stare at the clock, fiddle with her bandages and pulse monitor, and lay in her bed.

 Olivia wished she had company.

 She huffed and plopped onto her side in an effort to sleep, since that was the only thing she seemed to be able to do.

* * *

 

 While Olivia was trying to rest with her back facing to the glass box, Natasha snuck up with a red, white, and blue tote bag in hand. She knocked on the glass, making Olivia turn over. 

 “Hey,” Natasha greeted, then held up the bag. “It's a few things for you to do. Got the idea from Agent Morse.” 

 “Is that the Agent that Clint was actually dating for a while?” Olivia scrunched her nose up at the mention. 

 Natasha looked at Olivia oddly. “How'd you know about that, kid?” 

 “I have a friend who's absolutely obsessed with knowing anything about the ‘great Hawkeye,’” Olivia playfully rolled her eyes after using the finger quotes. “Sometimes he’ll talk about just random things while he's making stuff. He's from SHIELD, so it's not a wonder that he doesn't know.” 

 Natasha hummed in thought, but then set the bag in the items hatch. Olivia stood and retrieved the bag before looking inside. 

 “I made sure you have lots of candy, because candy can help solve everything. There are a few magazines in there, including one that talks just about ‘Miss America’ in all her glory, as well as her ‘crime fighting escapade with a mysterious masked superhero’. I thought you'd like to see how the world sees you, and also, who’s this ‘masked superhero?’ But I couldn't find your phone, or you headphones, so I just decided to ask Jarvis to order some headphones, a nice iPod, and load it with all of the songs on Tony’s Apple Account. You've got everything from Adele, to Bach, to Hans Zimmer. Also, there's some canned tea in there because the drinks they have available while your in quarantine are...water.” 

 “Thanks,” Olivia simply said as she opened up the can and drank a few sips. “The only person that has come to visit me recently, is the doctor. A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the girl in quarantine.” 

 Natasha shook her head. “You've gotta be in the wrong ‘kingdom of isolation’, because we've wanted to see you for quite a while. You're dad told you about the strict doctors?” 

 Olivia nodded. 

 “Well, they're still not letting anyone in. Being the SHIELD agent that I am, I couldn't take no for an answer. You need at least one visitor. And seeing all the flowers I’m standing in, it seems like you have quite a lot of people who want to see you.” 

 Olivia looked at the bouquets surrounding the glass box. “You would have thought I had gotten shot several times.” 

 “You've made a lot of friends, Liv. Saved a lot of lives with your...cheerful, loving attitude.” 

 “That sounded too cheesy, especially for you. But I'm just a non-normal girl who just managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.” 

  “Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Because I distinctly remember you being a girl who had all these terrible things happened to her. You took a stand, stood up, and did what you thought was right. Sure, you ran away from home to do so, and maybe that wasn't the best solution to the problem. But non-normal girl?” Natasha shook her head. “No. I think you're amazing. More amazing than words can describe.”

 Olivia struggled a smile before fiddling with the pop tab on the soda can. She nodded, then stared off into space. Natasha nodded as well before turning and walking out of the lab. 

 Steve walked into the kitchen to see Bruce looking over the latest information concerning Olivia. He had decided to spend his free time in the gym, since there wasn't anything else that he could do. 

 “What do we have?” the super soldier asked as he retrieved a pitcher of water from the fridge. 

 “Well, as far as I can tell, Olivia’s DNA is about as normal as ever,” Bruce looked up from his tablet. “She looks alright in those aspects. She has a problem registering what happened, or at least is refusing to accept or talk about it. Have you tried talking to her?” 

 Steve shook his head. “The...stuff that happened to her has her really shaken. I can't understand how she feels and it's created a barrier.” 

 “I can't even pretend to know what you're going through, Steve. But if Olivia continues to let that anxiety build up, it… It won't be good for her health. Knowing the kind of relationship that you guys have, she'll at least consider talking to you about it. And maybe she is just shaken up.” 

 Steve remaining silent as he swirled the water in his glass. “So there's nothing to worry about, so far?”

 Bruce shook his head. “Not that I can see…” 

 Steve looked around him before straightening his posture. “Meet the rest of us in the debriefing room. We need a plan.”

* * *

 

“Based on what I can assume from just giving over my energy findings, and from whatever was the thing that I'm in quarantine for, Richter has something planned.” Five minutes later, Olivia could be seen speaking through the camera provided by a tablet outside the glass box. “From what I can guess, the serum can be made airborne, and if distributed at a high enough altitude, it can have massive casualties.”

 “Well, we're glad you destroyed the only source,” Clint mumbled. 

 Olivia shook her head. “No, that's not like Richter. He always thought ahead. He has to have a safe house stuffed to the gills with that serum.” 

 “And if I was some mad scientist, I wouldn't have just one tiny serum,” Tony said as he rocked his chair back to a dangerous height. “Was this thing his life's work?” 

 Olivia nodded. “Yeah. Whenever he wasn't teaching me, he was working on it. In the room, there were...binders full of his work.”

 “So that means he was willing to sacrifice just one in order to protect the rest.” Natasha deduced. “So like Liv said, there has to be a safe house somewhere.” 

 “Maybe Germany?” Steve spoke up. 

 “I wouldn't know,” Olivia said. 

 “Lady Olivia, what would this man do with your energy source?” Thor asked, still keeping an eye on the little Patriot who slept in his lap. 

 “Um, the energy is able to be used like a bubble. Therefore, you could use the bubble to protect yourself from the force of… A car, a tank maybe for a period of time, or-” 

 “A deadly serum,” Bruce finished the thought. 

 “We need to find Richter and we need to find out what he's planning,” Steve decided, his brow furrowed. 

 “Just how are we doing that, Cap?” Clint looked at Steve expectantly. “Fury’s most likely not going to help us, we've got absolutely no leads, and no idea what we’re doing.” 

 “But at least we've got each other,” Tony mocked. 

 “If that's what it takes, Stark, then we're doing it,” Steve snapped back. 

 “We must try something,” Thor sounded deep in thought. 

 “I've got a plan,” Steve said. 

 “Is it a good plan?” Clint asked. 

 “I've got a plan,” Steve repeated, shaking his head. 

 “Well, what's this plan?” Natasha spoke up. 

 “Liv?” Steve turned to the screen showing Olivia in the glass box. 

 “Right,?” the girl nodded. “Okay, so I gave Richter my findings concerning the energy source, right? Well I didn't give him the encryption. See, I'm a SHIELD agent, I don't give up that easily. Everything I found is on a hard drive, and in order to unlock the hard drive, you need my phone. Well, there's no way they're getting my phone because I threw it off the roof of the Tower, then proceeded to cut up the memory card and flush it down the toilet.” 

 “He’ll come looking for Liv to decrypt the drive,” Clint deduced. 

 “And that's when we'll swoop in and plant a tracker on him. That way, we’ll know where he escapes to and finally put a stop to all of this,” Olivia grinned faintly at the ingenious plan.

 “And we know this is working just based on a hunch?” Tony asked as he scoffed. 

 “It's a very limited amount of time, but we've worked on less,” Steve nodded. 

 Tony scoffed again. 

 “You've got something, to say, Stark?” Steve snapped. 

 “Yeah. I've got plenty to say,” Tony indignantly smirked. “How exactly do we know this will work? Sure, he's a mad scientist, but he's not an idiot.” 

 “Look at Frankenstein, he was an idiot,” Clint retorted.  

 “That's not funny, Clint,” Natasha deadpanned. 

 “I'm just trying to make light of the situation,” Clint shrugged. “You guys are worse than Liv.” 

 “But Olivia didn't ask for this stuff to happen to her,” Bruce cut in. 

 “Yeah, well, none of us wanted this to happen to them,” Steve cut in. “Richter forced our hand. Now it's time we force his.” 

 “Did he?” Tony cut in, narrowing his eyes at the group. “Did Richter force our hand? Or did he force yours?” Tony pointed towards Steve. “Didn't we just give him detailed information regarding an energy source that could be used in saving himself from a massive outbreak?” 

 “I HAD to do that!” Olivia cut in. “If I hadn't, my wrist would have been blown off!” 

 The Avengers heads all snapped to look at Olivia. 

 “That day Dad and I came back without a car, Richter had paid me a visit. He told me that if I didn't give him the findings, he would blow off my wrist with this metal bracelet bomb that I had invented.” 

 A moment of silence passed. 

 “Anymore stuff you want to tell us, Liv?” Clint arched an eyebrow at the camera.   

 “Not that I need you to know. You probably already know most of what happened to me back at the Facility.” 

 “See? How can we even trust the kid if she keeps stuff from us?” Tony began spouting nonsense. 

 Natasha interrupted by saying, “Are you really that stupid? She's only fourteen, Stark.” 

 The meeting erupted into chaos. Everybody began yelling over everybody. 

 “Guys, stop. Please…” Olivia whispered as she backed away from the camera. She wrung her hands and gulped nervously. 

 “Hey!” Steve yelled, silencing the whole room. “Olivia’s the youngest one of out of all of us! You don't see her arguing, you don't see her complaining, you see her giving her best.

 “Yeah, I'm probably grasping at straws, but it's the best we can do. I want eyes on every camera, and even more eyes on the lab. We're going to hunt this guy down and see what he wants. End of discussion,” Steve pushed away from the table and stalked out of the room. The remaining Avengers still sat at their seats, slightly surprised by Steve’s reaction to the whole affair. 

 Thor was the first to get up from his seat, and soon, the others followed. The camera to the meeting quickly cut out and Olivia was left alone in her glass box again.

* * *

 

 Olivia huffed as Imagine Dragons poured in through her headphones. She sent an origami dragon through the air and it slowly fluttered to the ground. 

 Peter stood propped up against a stack of boxes, a piece of paper in his hands. He looked at the piece of paper and turned it over in his hands before flipping it over. He had immediately come over after school and decided to keep Olivia company. 

 “Hey, Peter,” Olivia greeted, smiling at the teenaged boy who looked solemnly at the paper. “...What's wrong?” 

 Peter stood to face Olivia. “You tell me. Your test results? I snuck in to take a peek; see what we're dealing with.”

 Olivia’s smiled dropped as she looked at Peter. 

 “Your, uh, anxiety and depression level inclined eighty percent.”

 “That's… really high.” 

 “Yeah. And I found in the doctor’s notes that you've got a some form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. I googled it. What I found wasn't good. ...Um, there's the possibility of amnesia, mental confusion, worsened anxiety, depression, difficulty speaking, and...even a personality change.”

 Olivia tightly crossed her arms over her chest. She sniffled and wiped away her tears. She took a long pause before saying, “What… What do I do?” 

 “You mean what do WE do?” Peter corrected, punctuating his question with a smile. “WE can't tell anyone. They'll treat you like you're broken, and you're not. I'll come back with some notebooks; make sure we get everything written down before you begin to forget it.”

 Olivia said nothing as she looked at Peter. Her eyes were red and puffy and she occasionally sniffled. 

 “From what I've read, the only way to get the disease is through exposure to the the brain, or through a vaccine, like you did. You destroyed the only other known vaccine, so it ends with you. I'll look around for things to help fight the disease, but it'll take time. You're going to have to just sit and wait. I'll try to have another answer as soon as I can,” Peter awkwardly nodded before turning around and beginning to walk out of the room. 

 “Peter?” Olivia called, making the teenager turn around. 

 “Thanks,” Olivia said through a tearful smile. 

 “It's no problem. ...I think you'd do the same for me,” Peter said, then nodded, and walked out of the lab.

* * *

 

 Olivia winced from the multiple cuts in her hands. In her frustration from the news from earlier, she had knocked off several beakers of Q-tips and cleaning supplies from the shelf above. She was now trying to clean up and make it seem as if nothing had happened. 

 Her hands were now bloody, so she quickly retrieved a nearby cleaning swab and pushed it into her hand to soak up the blood. 

 “Hey, kid!” Clint greeted, making Olivia spin around. She awkwardly smiled and held her hands behind her back. 

 “You sick of being a goldfish, yet?” Clint asked, setting his hands on his hips. Olivia nodded, and looked away. Clint’s joking smile fell. 

 “You okay, kid?” 

 “Well, I HAVE been labeled as a potential hazard to others around me. I feel like I'm cut off from everyone else.” 

 “It's only for a while. You should have only a little more time in there before the doctors come up with what's really going on.” 

 “I guess… That meeting seemed a little...heated.” 

 “We're just stressed. It's not every day when a kid you care about is put in danger. We just need time to actually breathe, you know? Registering what happened isn't easy. It takes time, and… Gosh, I'm not good with hope speeches,” Clint admitted as he drug a hand through his hair. 

 Olivia smiled at the thought. She gulped and said, “I understand. It's good to have visitors. I never got that at the Facility, and it's good to feel needed.” She sat on the hospital bed, unaware of the smear of blood on the corner. 

 Clint was the first to notice this. “You're not bleeding, are you?” 

 Olivia sucked in a breath and turned to the corner.

 “Well, kid. Any minute now, and we’ll get you test results. They just want to make sure you're clean of the disease, and then you'll be out in no time,” Banner said as he walked into the lab clad in a crisp, white lab coat. 

 Clint still looked worried and Olivia looked like she had been through another panic attack. She stood and breathed out a shaky sigh. 

 “Was I interrupting anything…? Or…” Bruce’s forehead knotted in confusion. 

 “Uh…” the girl shook her head and brought out her cut hand that was still holding some of the glass shards.

 “What did you do?!” Clint asked, looking at Olivia with a worried and confused gaze. Olivia swallowed and tried to say something - anything - but struggled. Tears dotted her eyes again. 

 “Olivia,” Clint sternly called for the girl.

 Olivia stuttered. “Uh, Peter-” 

 “Peter was a klutz. Again,” Peter intervened, a tablet in one hand as he walked into the lab. “She's cleaning up the mess. I went to go find a vacuum, but I couldn't remember where the closet was. I gave her a Coke, like the ones in the glass bottles. She accidentally dropped it after I scared her. 

 “I did ask the doctor ahead of time. He said Liv’s all clear. You can ask him yourself, if you need to. That's why I was in there. The doctor did want to double check, but it seems her vitals are perfectly normal, other than a little increased heart rate, but he said that was probably because of all of the tension going on,” Peter handed over the tablet for Bruce to see. 

 “You don't mind if I double check these, kid? just want to make sure,” Bruce asked Peter. 

 “Not a problem,” Peter nodded and smiled. Bruce nodded before walking away, still looking at the tablet in his hands. Olivia smiled as well, but tears still threatened to slip. 

 “I'll tell Cap. He'd like some good news,” Clint nodded and swiftly walked out of the lab. Peter retrieved a few things in order to bandage up Olivia’s hands before walking into the cordoned off area. 

 “...What did you do?” Olivia asked, staring at Peter while she sat on the hospital bed. 

 “Switched your new vitals with old samples. I even erased myself from the cameras. It took some work. Give me your hand,” 

 She did so, then furrowed her brow. “The new ones are different?”

 Peter nodded. “But we're not telling anyone, remember? Between us, ‘Kay? Keep you safe until we figure out just what we’re going to do.” 

 Olivia nodded and wiped her runny nose with her free hand. She inhaled sharply before throwing her arms around Peter and burying her face in his shoulder. She let out a sob. 

 “It's okay, Liv,” Peter assured, wrapping his arms around Olivia. 

 “If I hadn't gone into that lab, you wouldn't be in this mess. You wouldn't have to constantly worry about me. I… I'm so sorry. Everything's my fault.” 

 “No, no. Remember? I said that WE were going to deal with this, okay? It's not your fault. It's that scientist guy’s fault, okay?” 

 “There's something very wrong with me,” Olivia sobbed. 

 Peter shook his head. “Nah, you're just a little different now. Different, and there's nothing wrong with that.”

* * *

 

 After dinner, Olivia seemed just a little bit back to normal. She had been cleared by the doctor, and the only physical problem she had was the injuries she sustained during the injury. Nobody besides Peter knew that Olivia had the issue with her disease. 

 Pepper had all of the bouquets transferred to Olivia’s room and now the room smelled, as Olivia had said ‘like a gigantic flower threw up in it’. 

 Patriot, after some bonding time with an Asgardian, had willingly accepted some time with Olivia. The puppy wouldn't let Olivia go anywhere without following along. 

 Peter ate dinner with the whole group after Olivia had kindly asked if he would like to stay a little while. It was at this point that Pepper asked if Peter would like to stay forever, and Olivia only smacked her hand against her face in response. Peter was allowed to spend the night after having it cleared with his aunt, since tomorrow would be Saturday. He could be seen with Olivia in the living room, seated before an electric piano. 

 “No, okay. Imagine that you were making a smoothie and you took all your favorite ingredients and they went into that one smoothie. That's what my brain is like,” Olivia explained somewhat hesitantly. She gulped and fiddled with the bandages on her arms. The girl had decided to tell Peter what had happened in the Facility, since everyone else knew too. 

 “So, like, you've got like each genius’ best trait, brain wise?” Peter squinted off into the distance. 

 “Uh… Yeah…?” 

 “That is…pretty cool,” he admitted. “Just a little weird, but cool.”

 “Says the guy who swings on webs and can crawl on walls. Have I also mentioned he wears lots of onesies and calls himself Arachnid-Boy?” Olivia spoke in hushed tones so she wouldn't give away Peter’s secret identity. 

 “It's a work in progress! And you can't say it out loud, it'll ruin the whole point of a secret identity. And not everyone can have amazing outfits like you do. And it's Spider-Man, not Arachnid-Boy,” Peter sounded genuinely annoyed as he whispered. 

 “Ha! It is now!” Olivia teased in a sing-song tone. She laughed and shook her head. “But we're getting off track. See the thing is, I figured out that math is prevalent in music. I also figured out the I have a piece of Mozart’s brain within my own brain.” 

 “And listening to music is a proven tip to aid with memorization and remembrance,” Peter finished the thought. 

 “Yeah. Because hey, I'm probably having time off of the Academy and I was going to be bored,” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “Pepper says that Tony’s Black Sabbath music can get old, so I decided the piano was the best thing to take. I've heard it helps with coordination.” 

 “And that seems to be one of the symptoms,” Peter said a little quieter as he nodded. 

 “Right. I was wondering if you could just like, sit and watch. With the plan Dad and I came up with, we won't expect whatever Richter is going to throw at us…” as Olivia continued to talk, Steve watched from a distance as he stood, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. 

 It was good to see that she was safe and sound, and that she was talking to someone. Peter seemed to be an alright person. He was what Olivia called an ultimate dork, gaping whenever Tony had actually bothered to speak to him. But Peter had immediately bonded with Clint over countless cheesy jokes. 

 Steve wondered how Olivia truly felt with all this. He could tell that she was hesitant, and her behavior during dinner seemed...stressed, and a little more quiet than what she normally was like. She didn't let what Stark had said get to her, was she? Was Steve letting what Stark had said get to him? 

 He shook his head free of those thoughts. Steve needed to worry about things other than something Tony had said. Even if Olivia was safe, the problems at hand were far from over. Now was just the beginning. 


	19. Chapter 19

**_Chapter 19_ **

  
  


**** “Watch your six!”

 Olivia spun around at the command in time to shoot an explosive arrow at a dummy. It exploded on impact and Olivia ran over to the other side of the gym. She slid like a baseball player and jumped to her feet in order to fire two more arrows at two more dummies. She then materialized her shield and threw it at more dummies, watching as the shield sliced through the dummies.  

 The training exercise was over, and Olivia’s SHIELD shirt was drenched. She slid off the gauntlet, plopped onto the floor, and flexed her fingers before rolling her wrist. 

 “You're reacting too slowly,” Natasha said as she strode up to Olivia. The woman placed her hands on her hips. “You're distracted.” 

 “Well, it's not like I've been in… in…” she fought for the word. Olivia closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead in an effort to remember. 

 “Quarantine?” Natasha guessed. She rose an eyebrow at the girl’s struggle for words before shaking her head. 

 “Yes!” the girl exclaimed. “It's not like I've been in quarantine for the last three days.” Olivia muttered under her breath. She and Natasha had been busy with training exercises since five this morning. Natasha had given the excuse that Olivia needed to be ready for whenever Richter would attack. The problem was that it had been a full twenty four hours since Olivia was allowed to walk the earth again, and there was no mention, indication, or even news article concerning Richter. 

 “Well, just because you've been incapacitated for a while, doesn't mean you can have a life-long break. We're getting right back to it.” Natasha determined before turning around and walking away. 

 As if on cue, Olivia’s stomach let out a loud complaint. Natasha turned back around to look at Olivia. 

 “What it’s… It’s nine in the morning! I'm… I'm hungry!” Olivia said the sentence slowly, as if she was still thinking about the sentence she was trying to say. 

 “You okay, Liv?” Natasha asked, looking at Olivia with a furrowed brow. 

 “I need coffee,” Olivia grumbled as she walked away. The serum seemed to be affected her a lot more quicker than she had guessed. She fiddled with the chain hanging around her neck and nervously gulped. Olivia would have rather spent her time this morning writing down things so that she wouldn't forget. She played with the split ends in her hair before huffing. How was she going to deal with this?

* * *

 

 Peter plunked down a tall glass filled with some sort of purple looking drink beside Olivia while she was busy messily sketching in a notebook. Olivia looked up from where she was concentrating to look at the glass. 

 “Uh, what is that?” she asked, poking at the glass with her pencil. 

 “It's a plum smoothie,” Peter said, gesturing to the cup before crossing his arms over his chest.  

 “A… A plum smoothie?” Olivia looked disgusted, as well as extremely offended. “That- that doesn't look like a plum smoothie. That looks like you took the trash can and...and threw it in a blender. That looks like absolute trash. I refuse to drink this… This… What's the word?” 

 “Trash?” Peter guessed, but Olivia shook her head. 

 “Whatever,” Olivia waved him off. “The point is, I'm not drinking it.” 

 “Plums are...high in magnesium and good stuff. They help you remember things.” 

 “It doesn't matter. It's disgusting,” Olivia held the glass in front of Patriot. The puppy took one sniff and immediately refused to drink it. “Look! Even Patriot won't drink it!” 

 “Your dog’s spoiled.” 

 “Have you even tried this?” Olivia continued to give the glass an odd glare. She sniffed it, then gagged. “This is about as disgusting as Nat’s choices of dates for Dad.”

 “Oh, it's not that bad, Olivia,” Peter rolled his eyes at the girl’s dramatic behavior, then noticed her mischievous smile. He narrowed his eyes, and contemplated what Olivia had just said. “Natasha’s looking around for dates for your dad?” 

 “Yes. And it's disgusting,” Olivia stuck her out her tongue before mockingly gagging. She set down her pencil to look at the extremely rough sketch in the notebook before her. Surrounding the sketch was a written entry that read:

_ ‘...The Facility I was in wasn't the facility I was originally from. I was...stolen from my own facility and taken their to be used for their purposes. I was taken to an ultimately better place, even when I was forced against my will. _   
 ‘ _ The Facility I used to be in would have me work on Projects. After I finished the Projects, they would...wipe my brain so that I couldn't tell someone anyone about it. I would resist and then they would...wipe anything about my old life until I didn't even know my own name.  _ _   
_ _  ‘I was scared, terrified even of them. I can't remember what they looked like. I can't remember the day it was during that time. All I can remember is the pain that I would receive if I didn't do something the way they wanted it, or if I revolted. They would pull my hair in the best cases. In the worst…’ _

_  ‘They would electrocute me, or burn me, or even...starve me if I didn't comply. It was awful; horrible. And there was nothing I could do it stop it. _ ’ 

 The sketch was of vast, gigantic machinery. She was expected to work on such machinery for days on end. 

 Olivia shook her head and flicked to the first five pages. At the top of the page were three sentences: ‘My name is Olivia Jade Rogers. I am in the safest place that I can be. I am loved.’ She wrote the three sentences again and closed the notebook. 

 “Olivia?” she hadn't realized Peter was trying to get her attention. Olivia snapped to attention. 

 “It's already happening, isn't it?” Peter asked, looking at Olivia with worry plaguing his forcibly happy expression. 

 Olivia only nodded. She rolled the pencil between her fingers and sighed. “I-” 

 Before she could even begin to speak, the lights in the kitchen shut off, and the two teenagers plus one puppy were drowned in darkness.

 “Richter,” Olivia sounded terrified as she whispered the name. She cleared her throat and clicked her glasses to Night Mode. Clint had said that the mode was useful for sniper missions and when one needed to find a midnight snack. 

 Peter swiftly dug through the kitchen cabinets in search for a flashlight. After a few minutes of stumbling around in the dark, Peter found a small flashlight. He clicked it on and shined it in Olivia’s direction. The girl was clutching Patriot. The puppy must have blindly jumped to Olivia. 

 Olivia swallowed loudly before stumbling from her chair. She still held Patriot and the notebook she was writing in and strode over to the nearest door. 

 “Plan?” Peter followed close behind. 

 “Uh…” Olivia said as she ran a hand through her hair. She gulped nervously and looked around her. “My Energy Shield is down in the gym. The elevators don't work, so we'll have to take the stairs. After I get my shield, we can look for everyone else.” 

 “Has this happened before?” 

 “...No. But I can take a guess on who did this. And when he did it, he took out the reserve power too,” Olivia hesitantly walked down the hall. 

 “And he's coming for you,” Peter deduced. 

 “Well, that's why I have you, right?” Olivia managed an actual smile. The smile disappeared, though, when she realized something.

 “Richter’s using the power from the Tower to distribute the serum,” she gulped. A loud thunderclap made the two jump. “We really need to get to the others.” 

 Peter wordlessly nodded before the two travelled throughout in search for the Avengers and Olivia’s Energy Shield. The two carefully crept around corners and climbed down the stairs to make sure they were followed by any unwanted guests. Once or twice, Olivia had to remind Peter to stop humming the Mission Impossible theme, because apparently he had not ever been in a stressful situation before.

 Once they had finally found the gym, Olivia slowly walked inside, only to be jumped by Steve, who had his shield in hand and looked about ready to hit something. 

 “Dad!” Olivia exclaimed, then swiftly walked up to her father. 

 “Looks like we got what we were looking for,” Steve assumed, retrieving a flashlight from an emergency kit. 

 “You were planning for this?” Peter looked oddly at Olivia and Steve. 

 “Yep,” Olivia threw on her pair of fingerless gloves and the gauntlet over her wrist and immediately activated it. The energy provided some sort of light. 

 “Except for the fact that we weren't accounting them taking out the power,” Steve looked around the room. 

 “I think they're-” 

 “Using the Tower’s energy for their distributor?” Steve cut off Olivia. “Figured that much. Don't they need the decryption?” 

 “Not now. They can just deadlock the Tower and seal it off to hide in there. I told you Richter always sees one step ahead.” 

 “So you gave up your research for absolutely nothing?” 

 Olivia shrugged and set down Patriot. “I still have my hand, and that's all that counts. Dad. Two words.” 

 “Civilian casualties,” Steve finished the thought, punctuating his sentence with a curt nod. “We need to get down to the main level and make sure everyone is inside the building before it's sealed off,” Steve and Olivia nodded at once and walked to the door while Patriot trailed along. 

 “Do you guys always act like this?” Peter asked as he followed the father/daughter duo. 

 “Yep,” Steve and Olivia said in unison. The three wordlessly marched through the building until they stopped when the vents above them creaked and groaned. 

 Clint and Natasha dropped from the vent entrance, weapons primed on the three individuals. They lowered them once they saw the patriotic colors of the shields held up in defense. 

 “Where are we going?” Clint immediately asked after lowering his bow to his side. 

 “Securing civilian casualties. The Tower’s energy is being used for a serum distributor.” 

 At the mention of the serum, Natasha had noticed Olivia tense. The Russian assassin decided to brush off the observation for now, but she knew something was wrong. 

 “What about Thor? And Stark and Banner?” Steve asked about the remaining teammates. 

 “Haven't heard from them yet,” Clint answered. “We could keep looking for them, but I have a feeling we’ll be running into some unwanted visitors real soon.” 

“Main floor it is, then,” Olivia said and the others nodded in agreement. Led by dim flashlights, the group ran to the main floor, where people were rushing about, trying to find their way in the dark. A group of armed men rushed in. The leader of the men lit up the room with several bright flashlights. 

 “If you could all come with us,” the leader spoke up. “We're here to safely escort you from the Tower.”

 “Don't listen to them,” Steve ordered. “Those men work for a man who has made a serum that could endanger the life of everyone as we know it. If they were here to escort you out, then why are they wearing tactical gear?” 

 Steve turned to Olivia and curtly nodded. The girl received the signal as ‘gather the people on the sides’. She turned to Peter and mouthed the same thing. Peter nodded, taking his flashlight, and inched his way over to where people were gathered. 

 Olivia did the same, inching her way over to the lounge section of the reception floor. She whispered to the people standing out in the open to line the walls. Olivia then set up a barricade made up from the couches and chairs. She spotted a little girl huddling in the corner who looked to be around seven-years-old. Olivia inched over to the little girl before crouching down to look at eye level with the little girl. 

 “Hi,” Olivia greeted, waving a little bit to the girl. 

 “You're...Miss America,” the girl looked at Olivia in awe. 

 “Yeah,” Olivia smiled. “But you can call me Olivia, okay? Now, what's your name?” 

 “Ellie,” The girl answered. 

 “That's a nice name, Ellie. Where's your parents?” 

 “My mommy wanted to work here, so she had an appel-uh-cashun. After that, I had to go to school.” 

 “Oh, okay. I understand. Do you mind if I sit by you until the lights are working?” 

 Ellie shook her head, her blonde curls swaying as she did so. 

 “Great,” Olivia day next to Ellie and Patriot jumped into Olivia’s lap. “Now, Ellie. It's going to get really loud. I want you to take my shield. It's not gonna light up when you press the button, so you're going to hold down the button. Then you need to press it again and it'll turn on, okay?” 

 Ellie nodded hesitantly. She did as Olivia told her and the shield swiftly materialized before her. Olivia scooted under the protection of the shield, and if on cue, gunfire filled the room. Ellie yelped and buried her face in Olivia’s shoulder. 

 Sounds of combat ensued, mixed with shocked gasps of the people in the vicinity, and the occasional  _ tang _ of Steve’s shield being hit. In the middle of the fight, the backup power came on, and the people let out a cheer before the lights went out again. This proceeded for a few moments before the lights finally came back on and stayed on. It was at this time that Tony walked into the room covered in wires and cables. 

 “Success!” Tony cried out before noticing the fight between Clint, Natasha, Steve and the men. Steve finally punched one man unconscious, and the fight was over. Olivia swiftly reunited Ellie with her mother, who was situated at the other end of the room. 

 “Thank you, Olivia,” Ellie said before engulfing the teenager in a hug.

 “Hey, it's no problem, Ellie. I’m glad to be of service!” Olivia hugged Ellie back before retrieving her shield. While the three Avengers were making sure everyone was alright, Olivia left behind Patriot, grabbed Peter, and sneaked out of the Tower. The two stared up at the top of the Tower, the Avengers symbol shining dimly out against the downpour. The pouring rain slightly blinded the two’s vision, and thunder crackled in the distance.

 “I think I have an idea on how I can get you up there without using an elevator,” Peter said, though it sounded like he didn't like his idea. 

 “What kind of idea are we talking about?” Olivia asked, looking between the top of the Tower and Peter. “Please, don't throw me.” 

 Peter narrowed his eyes at Olivia, an incredulous look plastered across his face. 

 “You honestly think I can throw you to the ROOF of a SKYSCRAPER?” 

 “You've stopped a train from crashing into a river.” 

 Peter opened his mouth in order to retort, but closed it instead. “You've got a point,” he shrugged and shot out a string of web from one of the shooters be always kept on his wrists. He tied one piece of the web around his waist and then proceeded to do so to Olivia. 

 “That's so if you slip, you only fall a little before the web catches,” he said before throwing the hood of his jacket over his head. “That's just in case CCTV decides to show up,” he turned to face Olivia. The girl looked absolutely terrified. Peter cracked a grin. 

 “Together, ‘Kay? You've faced harder things.” 

 Olivia only nodded. 

 “Good. Let's go destroy ourselves a serum,” Peter gulped and climbed onto the building before Olivia safely hooked her arms around Peter’s neck. Peter the proceeded to climb while Olivia dangled. When it got too high, Olivia buried her face in her arm. 

 It felt like an eternity before the two had reached the top. They looked around, seeing a canister filled with the serum. The distributor was hooked up to the very top of the Tower, and there was no timer to be found. 

 “You think you can handle yourself while I go get my suit?” Peter asked, his hood now sopping wet. 

 Olivia nodded. She watched as Peter cut the web between them and swung away. She walked over to the distributor. She swiped the raindrops from her face and looked everywhere for some sort of panel to turn off or shut down the device. There was none of that to be found either. The rain still poured and thunder cracked right when Richter fired three shots with a gun. Olivia spun around and held up her energy shield. Two of the bullets bounced off the shield, but the third hit her shoulder. She winced, feeling the blood already ooze down her shoulder. 

 “You don't give up, do you?” Richter misused. 

 “Nope,” Olivia determined as she ran over to Richter. The man fired three more shots (all of which were deflected), before pistol-whipping the girl in the face. She stumbled back, but regained her footing and threw a few punches. Richter caught the first punch and twisted Olivia’s arm behind her back. 

 “The serum has given me knowledge, Omega! If you would have accepted it, you would have the knowledge, too!” Richter cried out against the storm. 

 “I already have all the knowledge I need and it's only given me a headache, no thanks to you!” Olivia growled. “If you think that this serum is going to give miraculous insight, you're dead wrong!” 

 She rammed the edge of her shield into Richter’s head. The man wrapped his arm around the girl’s neck and pulled her down. He continued his endeavor in choking Olivia. She fought to remember what Clint had taught her. It seemed that was the first thing that was lost to amnesia. 

 Olivia had to think fast. She rammed her head up into Richter’s. He cried out in pain, and Olivia fought back. She kicked the man in the stomach and watched as he writhed in pain. 

 Richter let out an animalistic growl before lunging towards Olivia. He ripped the gauntlet off her wrist and threw it over the edge of the Tower before elbowing Olivia in the face. Blood poured in a steady stream from her nose. She breathed heavily, for her asthma was quickly taking over. Richter hoisted the girl into the air as he held her by the throat. 

 “Give it up, Omega! You are failing! Soon enough, you will not even remember your own name! You will be just like the little girl in the Facility! Your are a failure; a faulty design!” 

 It was like something awoke inside Olivia. Instead of a pained grimace, Olivia’s mouth was set in a thin, determined line. An intense attitude could be seen in her eyes. 

 “No,” Olivia choked out, raising her hand that contained the fingerless gloves with the dendrotoxin capsules. 

 “My name is Olivia Jade Rogers.” 

 She fired one dendrotoxin capsule.  

 “I am in the safest place that I can be.” 

 She fired another capsule.

 “I am loved.” 

 She fired one last capsule. Richter unconsciously backed away before falling from the edge. Olivia caught herself from falling as she backed into the the center of the roof. She remembered the predicament at hand and jumped from her spot on the roof. She ran over to the distributor before prying everything that she could off of the device. It had to have the capability of being shut off somewhere. 

 Her watch chimed, alerting her of an incoming call. 

 “Kid!” Clint’s tinny voice filtered through the watch. “I got eyes on the device. You tell me when.” 

 “Right,” Olivia backed to a safe corner of the Tower. “When.”

 “Aren't you going to go INSIDE the building?” 

 “Not until I see this thing is destroyed. Do it, Clint.” 

 Her demand was swiftly met when an explosive arrow detonated, decimating the distributor in the process. The explosion shook the building. Olivia was thrown off her feet, but she caught herself. The rain made her slip, and she fell from the edge of the Tower. 

 Weightlessness filled Olivia. Her surroundings seemed to slow, as if time had stopped to a crawl. She didn't want to die. She still had so much to do with her life. She COULDN’T die.

 And yet, maybe it was the best thing if she did. She had knowledge… Too much knowledge. Whatever she was made to do when she was in the Facility could have been a danger to the world; it probably was. She couldn't do that ever again. 

 But before she could even consider such a thing as being good, she was scooped up. 

 “I got you, Liv,” she could hear Peter say, relief filling even his tone. Olivia choked out a sob and buried her face into Peter’s shoulder. 

 It was over. It was all finally over. 


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

  
  


 The sound of  _ Moonlight Sonata _ drifted throughout the living room of Avengers Tower. Olivia sat at the piano with a fuzzy blanket draped around her shoulders. Her arm had originally been in a sling because of the gunshot wound she had sustained, but Olivia believed she needed to play the piano. And that required the use of both of her hands.

 All of the things that had happened to her had occurred just three days ago. Richter's body was found and swiftly dealt with. Olivia dealt with the emotionally draining ordeal by spending her time at the piano. She had already picked up how to play the instrument and spent all of the time at it. It seemed to help with the headaches she would receive.

 Memories slowly resurfaced when she played the piano, too. When they returned, she would pause in her playing, grab her notebook, and scribbled down the bits and pieces of the memories. Sometimes, she would be able to connect some memories together. This had occurred for a majority of the three days and she would only stop playing whenever she needed to eat. She was pardoned from training and sparring, and thus spent her time at the piano.

 Olivia had to admit, it was nice to not have to worry all the time about bad guys in suits and tactical gear. She still wondered about her previous family, but assumed that they met a most unfortunate demise before finding her. It was sad, but… Olivia still had people who cared about her. It wasn't like she was left all alone.

 She was thankful for the Avengers, and most of all, Steve. He gave her the space she needed to recover, but was also willing to ask questions. Olivia felt guilty for not telling Steve about what the serum did to her. She wanted to tell him, but couldn't figure out just how she was going to do that.

 Olivia inhaled, exhaled, then smiled.

 "Your arm's not gonna heal if you don't keep it in that sling," Steve said as he entered the living room and sat on the chair closest to Olivia.

 Olivia laughed, pausing in the middle of her song. She turned around and sat with her back facing the piano. "I guess that's true," she admitted.

 "It's more than true," Steve said matter-of-factly. He gave Olivia a look. She finally succumbed and placed her arm back in the sling.

 Steve nodded and smiled wryly. He wrung his hands and sat on the edge of his chair. "Um, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

 "...And that would be?"

 "Fury wants me in DC," he said hesitantly.

 "That means I go to DC, too." That also meant she wouldn't have anyone to help her with the effects of the serum. "...How long?"

 "I don't know. It could be months. We'll be living down there for a while. That means you're gonna have to drop out of the Academy for the time being."

 She nodded in understanding. What would living in DC be like? Would she be left at home because of Steve's mission. Moving to DC meant that it would just be her and Steve.

 "Um, yeah… That means I have something to tell you, too. This might be completely unrelated to the topic, but…" she sucked in a breath, blew it out, and then she told him. Olivia told Steve everything about the serum, what it did to her, and what she was trying to do in order to fight it. She ended the explanation with, "I didn't tell you, because I was afraid you'd treat me like a ticking time bomb. I didn't eat that to happen."

 Steve looked at Olivia with pity. He fought for what he wanted to say. "...What can I held with?" He asked.

 Olivia smiled, "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

 

 Olivia sighed as she rummaged through her closet. The  _ Howl's Moving Castle _ book had to be here somewhere. She couldn't find it though, and it was making her nervous. There was something she needed from it, but the book was nowhere to be seen.

 She huffed. The last time she had it was when she first moves into the Tower. It had been almost a year ago that that had happened. That was unbelievable.

 The amnesia seemed to attack the less important things…

 The book wasn't in her bookshelf. It was too important for it to be out in the open. That's when it occurred to her; the book was in her crossbow case, situated behind the foam that hold the bow in place. Olivia searched for the dark blue case that had red and white accents. She opened the case, searched for the gap in between the foam and the case, and popped the foam out.

 The weathered book was indeed there. She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was gliding in before flipping to the back of the book.

 The pages were haphazardly hollowed out and a thumb drive was sitting in the cavity. On the thumb drive was information that she promised herself that she would go over once everything had becomes what she considered normal. Now was this time.

 Olivia situated herself comfortable in the closet before plucking the prototype tablet she was in the process of making from off her closet shelf. She plugged in the thumb drive and watched as the information loaded.

 There was one, lone piece of information. It was a security camera video.

 She tapped the video and watched as it automatically began playing. It was a video of the Facility she was found in. The date had read as two weeks before the day she was found. Everything was absolutely normal, until the clock of the camera read somewhere between four and five in the evening. Screams filled the audio, and it got so bad to the point where Olivia had to mute the audio. She continued to watch in horror until a man entered into the security camera's view.

 He was a man with a metal arm.

**The End**


End file.
